Night Light
by Bluedog270
Summary: Darkness always closes in on you but when there is a light at your side, it's easy to be brought back home. "I love you so much, why can't you just—" "Jack I love you too, but you left me once. I don't want you to leave me again." His voice went down to a mumble as his arms snaked around her waist, "I won't leave again. I'll be right here, every step of the way." Kick, AU.
1. Chapter 1

**~Author's Note~  
So . . . remember that 'new Kickin' It story idea' I was teasing in Jaded? Well here it is.**

**To be honest, I really want this story be some of my better work so I'm going for it. **

***This story is going to have long chapters but slower updates because of the length and detail I want this story to have. Also falls under the categories: ****angst ****and**** drama*******

**I'm taking a risk with this and the plot, so please let me know what you think. Oh and trust me, the intenseness starts around chapter six. But these chapters are loaded as well. So enjoy and review, those are pretty good motivations for updates. :)**

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_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kickin' It or ANY of the songs mentioned or lyrics used in this story_

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**1**

_And if you have a minute why don't we go_

_Talk about it somewhere only we know?_

_This could be the end of everything_

_So why don't we go_

_Somewhere only we know?_

_Somewhere only we know?_

**~Somewhere Only We Know by Keane~**

Their houses were right next to each other.

They had passed each other in the halls, over and over again.

But he was up there, and she was close to a nobody.

From middle school to sophomore year, everything was normal. She had caught his eye once or twice, and he had sent her a wave one time at lunch but everything else was foreign. That all changed in junior year, when he stared to notice her more often.

He had just turned seventeen the day after she did, so maybe it was hormones. Maybe it was fate. Whatever it was, he couldn't stop it. He started to notice how focused she would get when she wrote in her old tattered notebook.

How her face would scrunch up in wonder when she tapped her pen against the wood of the desk.

How she rolled her eyes ninety-percent of the week.

How many people would walk by her table and snigger.

When his friends would bring up the name Kim Crawford, he would snap to attention and defend her and any asshole who messed with her would end up with a black eye the next day. Kim observed the pattern and every time she couldn't help the smile that would stay plastered on her face for the rest of the day.

He loved seeing her smile, the way it made her entire face glow and cause her dimples to show. He would get lost in her doe brown eyes and her long blonde hair looked like a glowing halo along with her slim figure.

She had accidently ran into him one time after the bell had run and she was running late, he was leaving Mrs. Blanche's English class to go to the bathroom and within a second him and Kim were smack on the ground. He helped her pick up her books with a kind smile and warm eyes.

As he handed Kim her history book, she had gotten lost in his deep brown orbs.

They were the color of milk chocolate, with specks of a lighter cognac color hidden within. His eyes matched his chestnut brown hair, but they gave a tiny contrast that the girl secretly loved. She took her book and they had both stood up, Kim surprised at how tall he was up close. He looked to be about five nine along with a seamless figure. He had on a navy blue V-neck where the arms cut off close to his biceps and showed some gallant muscles Kim couldn't help but glance at along with black jeans and lastly denim blue stripped Nikes.

Kim was wearing a simple cerulean tank top with a heart necklace resting on her neck, another bracelet hung from her wrist and his eyes flickered down to the beautiful azure of the jewel perched on the metal. To finish off her look, some jet black bleached skinny jeans with black converse.

Neither cared of the courageous watch from the other.

She saw the veins in his arm grow bold when he moved his arm out to hand Kim the sole pencil she carried and the timid girl took it with a hushed thank you.

He smiled at her and had asked her to more careful.

He spoke delicately, murmuring that the other juvenile teens would just kick it down the hallway. She nodded and he walked away, leaving the blonde smiling in his mist. Her heart sung happily but her mind reminded her of reality by the end of the next minute.

Jack Brewer would never go for a girl like her, even if she was the last living person on earth.

To say she was awed by his kind attitude would be an understatement; she was stunned he had even helped her. But he did and Kim knew from that moment on that he wasn't like all the other jerks that crowded the hallways, Jack was different.

A good different.

That day was two weeks ago and they didn't talk again, but Jack still looked out for her. For some unknown reason, he felt like he had to.

The day he found her crying softly in the janitor's closet on his parent's wedding anniversary was the day he thought everything was supposed to be content.

Kim changed that, but looking back on it; he didn't mind. He was talking to Parker about the next football game coming up that weekend. Their voices were hushed among the other students, "So if the Knights' quarter back uses a fake-out, then I can jump in from the right."

Parker Haines was a bulky kid, muscular figure. Parker's features were valiant all around; brown hair lighter than Jack's, but a more serious attitude with almost golden-like amber eyes. He and Jack were close friends, and they met through football in sixth grade.

Kim didn't know him.

"I thought we were supposed to be talking about what to do if I was about to get sacked on offense?" Parker laughed, and it seemed to echo down the hall.

"Well—"

A sharp clang from the bell cut Parker off, the eighteen year old sending Jack an apologetic smile. "I guess we will talk about that at the game. See you man," They shared a quick fist bump and Parker was off, barreling his way through the annoying people and head nods that awaited him on his journey to science class.

Jack laughed at his back and rolled his eyes as all of the kids in the hallway emptied out quickly around him, none of them wanting to be late and having to deal with the wrath of Ms. Tess—the vulture-like vice principal. Jack could only wonder to guess why she wasn't married as he passed by the janitor's closet and stopped. He could hear a slight shuffling sound, like someone moving slowly.

Jack silently moved closer to the closet and pressed his ear against the chipped wooden door and listened. All he heard for a few moments was the scrape of chairs and teachers talking from the classrooms down the hall but then he heard it again.

It wasn't scuffling, it was someone crying.

The boy's hero instinct kicked in that exact second and he opened the door, being careful not to hit the person awaiting a savior on the other side. Jack entered the closet, startled at how big it was and shut the door gently behind him. His left hand fumbled around on the wall for a light switch and then when he found it—he flicked it upwards and hoped he didn't start a fire.

When he saw the one and only Kim Crawford before him, tear trails down her cheeks and her eyes ruddy; his heart broke at the sight.

He put his backpack to the left on the floor and rapidly went to her aid, pulling her into his side and wrapping his arms around her with no questions asked. The girl tried to slow her crying but it ended up turning into sobs instead. Jack pulled her as close as he could and rubbed her back, her head ended up resting under his chin and she was glad for his comfort.

They sat there second after second, minute after minute in the other's arms and Kim's wails finally turned into quiet hiccups.

Jack didn't loosen his hold; he simply waited until she decided to speak. Her breathing was shaky after a minute and there was only fuzzy silence around them.

"My dad is a firefighter and when I woke up for school he wasn't home."

Jack's hand found hers in the tangled mess of limbs and held tightly.

"I-I asked my mom where he was and she said he got called in about an hour before I was up."

Jack smiled softly, "Well what's so bad about that? It was probably a false alarm—"

"He . . . he's gone. I had been worrying all day about him and what happened and then I went on the news app I have on my phone and his picture was there. The first article," her voice cracked, "two firefighters dead. Jon Henry and Vince Crawford."

Jack was stunned to silence, and the tight grip he had on her slacked. "I-I guess my mom doesn't know yet . . . no one has called me down to the office or anything like they are supposed to. So I'll be the bearer of shitty news when I get home for sure."

"I-I'm sorry Kim. I really don't know what else to say." She shifted slightly away from him, resuming her position against the wall. Jack felt the lost instantly, and his heart begged for the contact to appear again. The boy stared at the floor for a moment, his mind racing and his heart thumping in his chest like a jackhammer. "I think I know how to cheer you up."

Kim shook her head slightly, "I don't think anything can cheer me up right now Jack, I just lost my dad. My best friend in the entire world."

Jack felt butterflies in his stomach when she said his name. He loved the way it sounded when it came from her and he couldn't deny how much he wanted to press his lips to hers in that second.

Guilt followed him for a second after his thoughts, hoping for kiss when her father just died in a horrible way.

The boy pushed the feeling away.

"Come on," He stood up and grabbed his backpack, tossing it over his shoulder and holding out his hand to the blonde. "I want to take you someplace."

She looked at him for a moment and he could see the inner debate she was having within her beautiful eyes. He sent her a smile, just a simple smile and that simple smile caused her insides to feel like they had melted.

It was full of so much warmth and so much care—his smile reminded her of her father's.

Compassionate, with a hint of mischief hidden behind his irises.

Kim slowly stood up and took his hand, Jack lifting up his other hand and wiping the left over tears from her cheeks. "I know someplace." He said kindly, "someplace where everything can be forgotten for a while."

They drove in peaceful silence for the entire time, Jack glancing over at Kim every few moments to make sure she was still alright.

She was glued to the window, her head resting on her hands.

"Kim," She was startled by his deep voice, her head snapping to attention. He couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. "A little jumpy there Kim, you doing okay over there?" Her voice was lost among her wandering mind and all she could do was nod. She turned back to the window, and Jack sighed softly.

He hated seeing her so mute and miserable.

He wanted to see her wide smile, her pearly whites.

Instead all he saw was a shell of the Kim Crawford he thought he knew, caught in the abyss of mourning that washed over her.

Jack's hand moved over from the steering wheel and grabbed her left hand, noticing a thin sliver ring sitting on her ring finger. He held onto her hand tightly, trying to bring her some type of reassurance.

"You aren't married to someone are you?" He asked, Kim smiling at the chuckle in his tone.

"It's not the olden days now is it with arranged marriages? Am I wearing an afro too?" Jack took a sharp left and stopped in the dirt of an open field, both of the teens laughing wildly. Kim clutched at her stomach as Jack shook his head and unbuckled his seatbelt, pulling the key out of the ignition. Kim followed suit, still laughing.

"Nice comeback," He commented as they moved towards the green bushes sitting in front of a tall, rusty old fence. Kim crossed her arms to protect herself from the stray winds that blew across the field every few seconds, Jack moving forwards and pulling the bushes out of the way.

"It's a ring my grandma gave me when I was little. On the inside there is an engraving of a heart." Kim took a step forward and was shocked that the lime branches were detached, from a distance they looked like they were planted in the ground. "I thought those branches were actual bushes . . ."

Jack was too busy fumbling with the bottom of the fence to answer her, pulling and prodding at the rusted edges. Kim watched with curiously as he yanked at the metal, making a hole appear within the gate so that they could fit through.

She couldn't help but watch the veins in his arms grow at the movement, the material of his olive V-neck riding up as the blonde finally diverted her eyes away.

He squeezed through and scrambled to his feet once he was on the other side of the fence, turning to look at Kim. "Your turn," He said and Kim couldn't help but grow worried.

"Jack," She started casually, "is this even legal?"

"Of course, it's actually the only legal way to get in now come on." Kim rolled her eyes and crawled through to the other side, the sight of tarnished cars and weathered pieces of scraps meeting her eyes. Odors of crushed metals invaded Kim's nose and she looked over at Jack, waiting for an answer of where they were.

Jack slowly took her hand in his, glancing around with a lax smile on his features. "This is the Scrapyard. I come here when I'm pissed and need to cool off or when I'm down about something stupid." He paused, "I know it's not an ideal place to go but it's . . . I don't know—unique— I guess. It's special."

Kim shook her head with a silent smile, "You are one hell of a weirdo Jack Brewer, one hell of a weirdo."

He shrugged his shoulders, "At least I embrace it." He playfully hit his shoulder against hers and she simply hit him in the chest for a response.

They started to walk in peaceful silence until Jack spoke again, his voice close to a mumble. "Today is my parent's anniversary. I just wanted you to be as happy as them. It wouldn't be fair if they got to be happy but you had to mourn all day. If I could I would switch places with you, I don't like seeing you sad."

Kim shook her head, "Jack, no. I'll be fine. I always end up fine. But," She turned towards him and they stopped walking. "Thank you for this, I really needed it." His eyes glanced down at her lips, but then flashed back up to her face.

"Anything for you," The sentence left his mouth without permission and he edged closer to her, their faces inches away from each other.

"Anything?" She questioned, a smirk highlighted her face.

His hand moved up and rested on her cheek in a caress, "Anything,"

Neither knew who made the first move, but within the second their lips were locked in a loving kiss, Kim's hands going around his neck and pulling him closer. It was caring and gentle, both of their hearts fluttering at the action. Jack's cologne invaded her nostrils, a mix of mint and sometime of vanilla. No one was around, no one could interrupt.

Kim thought it was close to perfect.

They pulled away and Kim left her arms around his neck, his hands moving down to grip her waist.

"That was . . . "

"Amazing," Jack cut her off before she could finish and Kim couldn't help but agree with him one hundred percent.

"Yeah,"

Her voice was quiet but breathless and Jack grinned, "Wow blondie, didn't know I had this much effect on you." Kim rolled her eyes and hit him in the chest, Jack feigning hurt. "Ouch Kim, I thought you liked me enough not to beat me up but I guess I figured wrong."

Kim shook her head, "Just shut up and kiss me Jack."

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That following week was hard for the Crawford family and Kim especially but Jack stood by her every step of the way. For some reason, he was drawn to her because of reasons he couldn't explain and now he had her—he was beyond grateful that she returned the feelings.

Jack couldn't even think of losing his father to the grim reaper, though at the time of Vince's funeral, Jack was losing his father to another thing entirely.

It was January fourth and the funeral had been the day before, Kim was equal to a waterfall for most of the day whereas Jack was trying to just stay afloat and fight off his own demons. Jack's father had shown up at the funeral.

He was stumbling around and a half-empty bottle of Barefoot white wine was clutched in his yellow fingertips. Jacks eyes had grown to saucers at the sight of his drunken father assaulting his girlfriend's funeral.

He had always smoked, for year and years a fat cigar would be hanging in his mouth but Jack never thought it would escalate to drinking. He didn't know it was the start of the end, at the time the only thing going through his mind was to get him out.

He went up to him and nearly gagged at the stench of alcohol, shoving him towards the back door to get him out before Kim saw.

All the while his father slurred improper words to his son, containing vulgar language and mature themes about his co-workers. Jack got him outside and told him to go home and wash up but his father continued on with the story of the day about the 'hot accountant' downstairs that he 'had fun with'.

Jack gave him a good push towards the road, telling him to go home one last time and then turning and heading back inside. He brushed the feel of his father's slimy fingers off of his tux and plastered a fake smile on his face, the thoughts of his incoherent father secretly plaguing his mind for the rest of the evening.

The next day was hard for everyone; Jack still twisted in whether he should have told him mother about his dad's unruly behavior.

He decided not to, but even with the secret under wraps; the screaming matches started by that Friday.

Almost a year later, Kim and Jack's relationship was at its high, the two closer than ever. Jack had been cornered by Kim one day, the blonde asking about what was going on with his family.

Jack spilled every detail and admitted that it was getting harder as the days went on.

Kim then offered something that would save him beyond belief.

From then on, any night when his parents' fights were unbearable, he would sneak out the window and go through Kim's, sleeping in her room for the night. She would leave the window unlocked and when a warm body would join Kim in bed at night, she would smile and snuggle closer to him and falling back asleep.

Everything was going perfect.

Until on Jack's nineteenth birthday, everything was lost.

"You are a no good bastard! Go fuck another one of your coworkers for all I care! Ruin this family some more won't you Hank?"

"Shut the fuck up Virginia! It's your fault that this family is falling apart in the first place!" Jack couldn't take it anymore, it was getting worse by the night and he needed to escape. He got out of bed and went over to his window, opening it and carefully getting out.

He started to climb over the fence that separated the two houses until his father's voice behind him stopped him. "Where do you think you're going Jack?"

Jack made it to the top of the fence, tuning to look at his disgruntled dad. "To a friend's house," He answered calm, noticing his father move towards the window.

"At three in the morning? I don't think so," Hank lunged for Jack and he went to jump over but his father caught Jack's leg and tugged him downwards. Jack lost his footing and went tumbling down, his cheek hitting the side of the fence.

Jack hit the hard ground with a loud thump, his father muttering curses at him from the other side.

"Don't you ever come back here, you hear me? You were a mistake in the first place."

Jack stayed on his stomach, waiting for Hank's footsteps to fully disappear. He ignored the tear that leaked out of his eye and heard the window shut, his heart falling.

All he had were the clothes on his body, a thin white t-shirt along with some boxers and black sweats. Plus the prized necklace around his neck that he never took off, but that didn't count. His father gave Jack the necklace when he was five and the boy kept it after all these years.

Maybe it was time to get rid of it.

Jack slowly stood up, wiping the dirt and grass from his knees and stomach. Kim would kill him if any dirt ended up in her bed. The teen went over to her window and carefully opened it, making sure no creaks sneaked by. Kim's window was old and creaky; he didn't want to wake her.

Surprisingly enough since her dad's demise the blonde was easily scared so Jack tried his best to be there for her as much as he could; he hated seeing her so easily fragile.

Jack cautiously went through the window and shut it behind him, heading over to Kim's sleeping form in bed.

He gently pulled the rosy blankets over his body, trying his best not to startle Kim. He moved so that Kim's back was pressed against his front as his arms draped around her, the girl flinching in her sleep and waking up. "Shh, it's just me. It's alright." His voice was low; Kim felt his breath on the back of her ear.

"Jack?" He muttered sleepily, moving so that she was facing him. Once she saw his face in the outline of the moonlight she gasped, her hand moving up to his face and brushing the cut on his cheek.

"I'm fine Kim; I just might have gotten kicked out of my house about five minutes ago. Nothing too bad," He finished with a sarcastic chuckle, Kim now instantly awake when she saw the three cuts on his face.

"Oh Jack, what happened?" She muttered, his hand moving to hold hers.

"My dad caught me sneaking out after having a big fight with my mom. He grabbed my leg and tried to pull me back to the house but instead I fell in your yard. Then . . ." He paused, Kim's eyes gazed into his. "He told me to never come back." Kim pulled him into a hug, his head burying into her shoulder. He didn't cry but Kim held him anyway.

She knew he just needed someone to hold him and that's all that mattered. His arms wrapped around her torso and held on tightly. "He doesn't love me Kim; he said I was a mistake." He whispered, Kim shaking her head and pulling him closer. Jack had a close relationship to his father all his life; it killed Kim to see that relationship crumble before her eyes.

"Other people love you still Jack. Your mom, all the rest of your family . . . me." Jack moved back from the hug to look at his girlfriend, her face was fully serious.

"Kim?" He questioned quietly, the girl sighing as she fumbled with her hands.

"I-I think I love you Jack." His face was unreadable at first and Kim grew worried. She said the wrong thing, she was acting stupid. She turned onto her side and faced the wall, waiting for the moment where he said she was acting senseless. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." Kim felt his arms wrap around her lower waist, his stomach pressing against her back.

"You aren't stupid Kimmy," Kim squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for it. "Would I be stupid if I said I loved you too?"


	2. Chapter 2

**~Author's Note~  
Thanks for the wonderful reviews, I'm so glad everyone likes it so far. I was so worried about posting this at first, but all of that is gone now. For those of you who are reading Jaded, I am going to try and update that today or tomorrow as well. Thank you all once again. Read, enjoy, and review :)**

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**2**

_She finishes the vows but the beeps are getting too slow_

_His voice is almost too low_

_As he says, I love you forever, forever and always_

_Please just remember even if I'm not there_

_I'll always love you, forever and always_

**~Forever and Always by Parachute~**

_Four Years Later . . ._

"You may now kiss the bride." The room erupted into a valley of claps, Jack pressing his lips to Kim's in a loving kiss. His lips were soft and caring as always, Kim didn't want to pull away. She wanted to stay locked in his hold forever.

But at the same time, their families were sitting just mere feet away and Kim doubted they wanted a 'sucking faces' show.

The blonde pulled away as Jack looked at his wife lovingly, his hand gripping hers and playing with the sliver band on her finger.

"I love you Kim," He muttered so that only she could hear, the girl feeling those same butterflies from years ago fill her stomach.

"I love you too Jack," She mumbled back, as he pressed a soft kiss to her hair. Her grandma's ring was placed on her pinkie.

Kim's dress was long, snow white with some sliver sparkles here and there. Her bright golden locks were straightened to fame her face, only a few traces of make-up coated her fair complex. Light cobalt earrings hung from her ears, Jack remembered the day he found out her favorite colors were blue and pink it was a funny day for sure.

His other hand rested on the small of her back as they started to head down the aisle and towards the big wooden doors to the after party.

Kim glanced over at Jack in his crisp black suit. His face was just shaved the night before, his coffee eyes lively and eager. The man's hair was messy as always, some strands in the black sticking up every time he tried to flatten them down with his calloused hand.

Kim's mom stood at the door of the limo, holding it open with a shaky hand and glassy eyes. Kim let go of Jack's hand, getting to her mother's side as quick as she could to make sure she was okay.

"Mom? Mommy?" She whispered, bringing her hands to Jean Crawford's face like a little kid, the woman shaking her head while grabbing Kim's hands.

"Oh baby, you're so grown up now." Kim smiled as Jack walked around close by to talk to some of his family, one ear listening for his wife in case she needed him.

"Mom," Kim chided her face heating up as she felt her own eyes grow watery at her mother's appearance. Her mother's hand rested on her shoulder for a moment before Kim was pulled into a heart-felt embrace.

The newlywed rested her head on her mother's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You aren't losing me mom, I promise."

Jean tried to compose herself enough to answer, "I know honey, I know. I-It's just that it seems like just yesterday I was changing your diapers." Jack started to walk towards them, his smile brighter than the sun.

"Mommy, it's all gonna be okay. Jack and I will visit all the time."

"Baby I know, I just—"

"The after-party is happening now too. I promise mom." Jean pulled away so that she could look Kim in the eyes, but her arms still stayed locked around her little girl.

"Your father always talked about promises. He would say them all the time. I'm so glad you grew up to look like him Kim. I'm so proud of you." Kim felt a drop slip down her cheek, blinking her eyes to get rid of the rest of the salty drops.

Her mom was a short woman; Kim grew to be slightly taller than her. There were wrinkles around her mom's mouth from smiling too much in her lifetime and some worry lines on her forehead. Jean's eyes still gleamed brightly, like she was kid looking for trouble.

Kim got stuck with her dad's attitude, her mother tended to yell at her daughter's playfulness a little too much sometimes. She got the random bliss of getting her mother's brown eyes but she also got the blessing of getting a hair hue mix from the both of her parents.

Kim's dad had light brown hair close to a bleached blonde while her mother's hair was a darker shade of honey. Kim's hair came out perfect, the words directly from her family and Jack.

"Thanks mom, I love you."

Her mother gave Kim a loving kiss on her forehead, "Kim," Jean's voice lowered to whisper and Kim had to inch closer so she could hear. "If he ever does anything nasty to you, leave him—"

"It's Jack mom, he wouldn't ever hurt a fly. You know that."

"Kim—"

"Don't ruin my wedding day mom, please." She cut Jean off strictly and turned towards Jack, whose arm was held out towards Kim.

"Shall we?" He asked in a horrible British accent, Kim beaming at him. She took his arm as he guided her into the limo, Kim sparing one last glance at her mother before pulling the door shut.

Jack gave a nod to the limo driver before sitting down next to Kim, noticing the perplexed look on her face. He made her turn towards him but shifting his arm around her and the look was gone as soon as she looked at him, a smile replacing it. "You okay?"

He asked, allowing the worried tone to seep through his letters. Kim nodded and her eyes scrunched up, "Why wouldn't I be?" Jack shrugged his shoulders as the limo made a sudden right, Kim sliding into Jack before being able to catch herself.

"Just thought you looked a little worried, but if you say so." He responded, erasing the paranoid nerve-racking feeling from his memory. Kim sighed contently as she rested her hand over his chest to sit back up, looking at him strangely when she felt something cold under his suit. "Okay now I know you are going to freak at me but it's just—"

Kim ignored her new spouse, reaching in his suit and pulling out a golden badge with the words 'Seaford State Police' in black at the top. 'Protect and Serve' was engraved on the bottom curve of the insignia, Kim gaining a scowl on her face as she stared at the monstrosity.

She threw it at him, looking up at him with the glower still covering her features. Jack caught his badge, searching for some words to come out. The man stuffed the golden piece of hell into his left suit pocket; trying to think of something, anything to say. "Kim it's just in case something happens, it's just a precaution."

Her expression grew irritated as she continued to stare at him and he gulped under her dirty look.

"You promised me last night that you would leave that damn thing at home Jack." Her voice was deathly quiet, Jack mentally cursing at himself for being so over cautious.

He held his hands up in surrender as he slid closer to her, "I know, I know. I was just got worried that something would happen."

"It's like you are married to your work Jack."

"I'm sorry Kimmy. It's not my fault that they teach you to be alert at everything and now it's just a damn habit I can't break and I'm sorry."

Stillness trailed his words as the limo stopped and the door started to open. Jack grabbed her hand and she didn't pull away, to which made Jack breathe a sigh of relief.

Kim's temper was short, but nothing he minded. She was also a person who easily forgave society, so Jack was always welcomed back in about five seconds later.

They got out of the limo to be met with flashes from cameras and cheering from Jack's irresponsible side of the family. Kim grinned at everyone with Jack close by her.

Something in his gut didn't feel right.

His orbs glanced to the left just as the back of a figure started to walk towards the back of the church.

The man's eyes narrowed as he thought back to what Rossi, his chief at the station, told him about any susipous people.

Either go up and corner them, or watch from a safe distance.

Jack choose to go with the latter as he brought Kim closer to his body, her body slightly in front of his in case the worst case scenario decided to rear it's ugly head. Ross always said that if a bullet was to be shot at two people, one could shield the other and save their life quicker than the bullet could dig itself into flesh.

Once the couple got inside, the loud music demolished Jack's senses.

As they went to go and take the first dance, Jack scolded himself for being so over protective.

This was too much on his wedding day.

Everyone grew silent as the song Jack and Kim picked came on and they started swaying to the special song. Halfway through Kim's head came to rest on Jack and he pulled her closer, kissing her softly. "I love you Kim, always remember that."

"How could I forget?" She asked, her voice close to a little girl's.

Jack smirked as the song ended and they walked off the stage hand in hand.

It was about halfway through the night, Jack having a few beers here and there while Kim stuffed herself full with the amazing chocolate wedding cake they choose. Jack and Kim were talking to Jack's uncle when a crash came from their left.

They looked over and Jack jumped out of his seat once he saw who it was stumbling towards the main table. Kim tried to stop him, but he was too quick for her to catch his wrist.

"Jack! Son?" Hank slurred the letters together while inside Jack was feeling mortified that his father dared to show up at his dream wedding. Everyone could see the cringe that went through Jack's body when the slimy word of 'son' left his father's lips.

Jack stood in front of his father; his height matched his father's equally. If you placed the two next to each other in a picture, you would instantly be able to see the matching mouth and nose. Their figure was almost the exact same, besides the muscle his father lacked from the last few years of not going to the gym anymore.

The only main difference was the buzzed hair cut Hank had. He had on a messy grey suit with the tie hanging around his neck undone, his pudgy fingers reaching out for Jack once he saw his son. Just as his hand gripped Jack's shoulder, the brown-haired man shoved it off.

"Get out of here," He hissed, hiding the pain he felt behind the mask of his glare.

"No," He garbled, "I-I want to be here for m-my son Jack." Jack's ire was mounting as the moments passed and Kim started to stand up.

"Shut up you drunk bastard and get out." He seethed, taking a step towards Hank. His cloudy eyes locked onto Jack as he slowly processed the words that had just left his son's mouth.

"What did you just say to me you ungrateful little asshole?" Just like that Hank's mood went from carefree to demanding and Jack had a flashback to when he was little.

His father had just finished building a model airplane and Jack sneaked downstairs to play with it. When it fell to the floor in pieces, the pure wrath that had entered his father's face was disturbing as he screamed at Jack, giving him nightmares for a full week. Looking back on it, Jack realized that his father always had anger issues.

That was something he couldn't fix, ever.

"I said get the fuc—"

His father's fist moved to land a painful punch to Jack's face but he dodged and got behind Hank, pushing the man to the ground.

He wrestled his arms behind his back and the badge that he had stuffed in his suit burned a hole in his pocket. "Someone call nine-one-one," Jack called out firmly, looking over to Kim who had stopped walking towards him, "tell them that a fellow officer needs help. ID number five-five-twelve."

One of Kim's older cousins pulled out her phone and started dialing, as Jack stared into Kim's eyes with Hank shouting below him. He hoped that she could see how sorry he was, how irate he was at his father and overall just the plain shame that filled him.

"A police car is on its way," The girl shouted out, Jack thanking her quietly; not caring if she heard him or not.

Right now his main focus was on Kim.

She looked at him for a second more before turning and looking the other way.

* * *

Even though it didn't seem like it, Kim's favorite day of her life was the wedding while Jack's favorite day was the day a year ago when Kim told him she was pregnant.

That was the happiest day of Jack's life and he couldn't be more pleased about it.

Now here they were two twenty three year olds with lives that seemed like they were going to end up perfect.

But perfect never lasts.

When Kim was thirteen, she overheard her parents talking about wanting another baby but how there was a problem. Cries succeeded her mother's words and Kim had walked away; hating the sound of her parents crying.

Who could have guessed that Kim would have the same problem?

Kim had just gotten off the phone with the doctor's office and the news wasn't pretty, it was devastating. Tears were flowing out of Kim's eyes nonstop and her hands pulled at her head.

"Why," She whispered, "why me and my little baby boy?"

A strangled sob escaped her as she tried to pull herself together before Jack came through the door. He would be there any second, walking in and seeing his distraught wife would be a hell of a thing to come home to.

Kim's hands ghosted over her budging tummy, her heart racing. She couldn't lose her little boy, it was too soon.

She wouldn't get to see if he had Jack's hair or her hair.

Whose attitude he got stuck with.

What bright color his eyes would be.

Jack and Kim would spend hours looking through baby names, trying to find the perfect one.

It would all be for nothing now.

The sound of Jack's car pulling into the driveway startled her, her mind trying to figure out what she could do. She heard the car door slam, along with the jingle of keys by the door. Kim darted to the bathroom, closing the door behind her just as the front door opened and closed.

"Kim?" His deep voice caused her to start shaking as she placed her hands on the sink, holding tightly.

The news would kill him.

He had told her over and over again how much he wanted a family.

"Kim?"

His voice grew urgent and she heard his footsteps right outside the door. He knocked, Kim wiping the tears from her face the best she could. He would still be able to see the bloodshot look that betrayed her orbs. "God Kim, you scared me. Can I come in?" His voice turned less troubled and more laidback.

Kim opened her mouth to speak but no words came out as she glanced up at the mirror in front of her. A broken reflection of herself glowered back at her.

Jack knocked again, "Come on Kim,"

Just as Kim was about to answer, something overtook her.

Ferocity, agony, sadness all morphed into one as she picked up the can of Jack's shaving cream that sat in front of her. Her hand gripped the cold metal tightly as she took a step back. Then with all of the force she had, she threw it. The mirror smashed into pieces, one slice nicking her in the forearm.

Jack's instincts went into frenzy mode once he heard the crash, opening the door. His heart fell at the blood he saw leaking from her left forearm, going up to her and pulling her gently away from the broken shards of glass.

The expression on her face was emotionless in addition to heartbroken as the tears started up again.

She fell into his arms, Jack catching her and holding her like there was no tomorrow. His wife was falling to pieces directly in front of him. "Oh Kimmy," He mumbled, the girl burying herself into the fabric of his police uniform.

"J-Jack," She clutched onto him like a lifeline.

"What happened?" He questioned; his heart racing in apprehension, what could be so huge to cause his wife to spiral downwards so suddenly?

Jack felt her water tears through the thin material of his uniform, silently begging her for an answer. She pulled back slightly and his arms stayed wrapped around her waist in vice-like hold. "T-The baby,"

She watched his reaction as the words left her mouth, Jack feeling everything around him fade into oblivion as he heard the news.

The woman felt more tears leak out when his mouth turned into a firm line, the hold he had around her slacking. He had some stubble yet to be shaved on his chest, his eyes worn and stressed out from the endless days at work. The newfound news about the baby brought a new layer of pain to be added to his face, Kim hated it.

"You can't have the baby." How stern his voice came out shocked Kim, Jack shocked that the words had even left it mouth. But the man stood his ground, his hands lowering to his sides as he dared a quick look at his wife.

Her hair was thrown into a messy ponytail, strands sticking out at odd angles as her face was coated with wet trails from her endless sobs that had followed the phone call.

"What—"

"I can't let you have this baby if there is a chance it could kill you. I-I can't take that risk."

"Jack," Her voice cracked with a choked wail, "we, this is our own f-flesh and blood. We can't just kill him!" Kim's voice grew hysterical and her attempts of keeping her composure were failing.

Fast.

He ran his hands over her arms, feeling a burden weigh down his heart.

"Hey," Voice soft, like he was talking to a little kid; "look at me."

Kim didn't like that.

She wasn't a little kid.

She wasn't going to let him win, he was telling her to _kill _their little boy.

They already had his name picked out, since he was due soon.

Kim Brewer wasn't going to lose her little boy, not now, not anytime soon. Jack kept an eye on the line of blood that stayed placed on her forearm, being able to tell it was just a nick and not deep at all—lucky for Kim.

"I'm not losing my little boy Jack; I'm not letting you win this. How could you rather kill _our_ child then fight the odds?"

"Because Kim, the doctor said you could die." He exasperated, as if she wasn't getting the point. Jack truly thought she didn't understand fully, he couldn't lose her. She was his whole world; you can't lose the world you love. She fought back with just as much challenging him, edging him on.

"_Could _Jack! He said I _could _die! Not that I was going to!"

"But you could, and I couldn't live with myself if I let you have this baby and then you—"

He turned away, blocking on the words. He couldn't even say it, he couldn't think it. Kim dabbed at her eyes, the bright russet color fading with the moments.

She took a step towards Jack and grabbed the hand with his wedding ring on it. He turned with her, facing her. She placed his hand on her budging stomach just as their little boy kicked with some strength.

"This is our little boy. He already has your strength, your cocky ass attitude. I can tell he has all of it." Jack moved his hand away from Kim's stomach, staying intent on his decision.

"Kim."

"And he loves you. He loves you with all of your damn flaws because he is your son." Jack lost it when the hushed word of 'son' left Kim's mouth. Ever since his father, he hated that word. Even if it was used for his own kid.

"I can't lose you!" His sudden shout caused Kim to jump in surprise, her hand unknowingly moving to rest over her stomach like a form of protection. "Don't you get that Kim? If I lose you, I lose everything!"

"You aren't going to lose me Jack, not in a million years."

"Kim—"

"You lost your father. I'm not going anywhere."

All was silent after that. Jack's mind nagged at him, telling him shocking and possible horrid things. Kim simply took his hand and pulled him over to the couch that sat a few feet away from them, both of them sitting down.

Kim snuggled her head on his chest and his arm went around her shoulder as his hands came to rest on her stomach. "I love you Jack. I can promise you that neither of us will ever leave you." He felt another kick and another, the longer his hand rested there.

That was his son in there, waiting to come out and meet his mommy and daddy.

Jack couldn't strip his child of that.

He couldn't kill off one of his kin.

He wasn't a monster.

Kim said that the doctor boldly stated it was a low possibility that he would lose his girl.

Another kick, calmer—like as if his kid read his mind and knew that his daddy made the right choice.

"I'm sorry Kim. I love you both so much. I-I—"

"I know Jack, trust me I know. Every morning when you leave for work I feel the same way. You could die any day but I don't hold you back."

Jack struggled for words, "But this is different."

He tried to argue, "No it isn't. I let you leave and every day I worry that it's going to be the last time I see you."

"Kimmy,"

"It's the truth Jack." Jack's phone started to ring from his pocket and Kim moved so that he could get to it.

"Hello?"

Kim listened in, "Is this Jack Brewer?" The voice on the other end was deep and raspy like the man had smoked one too many cigarettes in his life.

"Yes, may I ask who is speaking?"

"I'm going to give you twenty minutes."

"What—"

"You arrested my partner two weeks ago. Gerald Sandi. I'm giving you twenty minutes to release him from the station and if he doesn't walk out then you can kiss your wife goodbye. She'll be dead."

There was a click on the other end and Jack quickly dialed the station, Kim clutching his arm. "Get me on the phone with Rossi right now and send a force to my house. Someone just made a threat to kill my wife."

Jack's hand grabbed Kim as they waited for Rossi's grumpy voice to come from the other side of the line. "I love you," Jack whispered, pressing a sweet kiss to Kim's cheek." Kim's head feel to his shoulder as she tried to keep calm for her and her baby.

"What do you want Brewer?"

Kim never thought that Rossi's voice would bring her so much reassurance, "Someone just made a threat to kill Kim if we don't release some murderer's buddy. Track the call now, I'll tell you the number."

Rossi got right to work; the couple could hear the furious tapping on the keyboard through the phone. Rossi was a grey haired man in his fifties, his attitude was sharper than the blade of a knife; Jack learned the hard way that he didn't like jokes too much. His face was always grim-looking with his slim lips always downturned in a frown. Jack learned from the chipper desk lady down the hall that he lost his little girl two weeks after she was born from pneumonia.

Jack and George Rossi had a mutual friendship, the older man always keeping an eye out for Jack and his family. When Rossi had overheard about Kim being pregnant, that mutual friendship turned into a soft spot for Jack.

"Got it, nine sixteen Hart Blvd. I'm sending SWAT and two K-9 units." They knew the SWAT wasn't needed, but when the Brewers were threatened—Rossi was going to make sure the culprit was caught. "Stay on the line Jack," Kim's hold grew tighter on his arm and he wanted to make everything go away so that Kim was perfectly safe.

"I'm sorry Kimmy," Jack muttered, moving the phone away from his mouth so that Rossi wouldn't overhear.

"This—"

"About earlier, I-I you know I wouldn't be able to go through with it either way." Kim keep the happy tears locked inside, she had cried enough for that day.

"I love you Jack, so much."

"Brewer?"

Rossi's tone told Jack he was pissed off, "It was a fucking prank, SWAT found two teens and a voice mixer."

"Rossi, we can nail them for something right?" The stress those two assholes just put Kim through could have harmed the baby and Jack wanted them to pay.

Even if the abrupt scare made him realize what was right in front of him all along.

Five minutes ago he wanted to kill his baby boy to save the love of his life.

Now, he just wanted them both to be safe and sound.

Nothing was going to prevent him from doing that.


	3. Chapter 3

**~Author's Note~**

**I am super sorry, I did not mean for the wait to be **_**this **_**slow. The updates might be every week or so now because I just started school and it is annoying hell as always so just stick with me :) **

**I also swear the time skips stop the chapter after the next one. **

**Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews and this chapter is one that is going to throw your emotions on a roller coaster ride. Read, enjoy and review :D**

* * *

**3**

_Let's just take tonight, tonight slow_

_Cause I want to see where this, where this goes_

_I need you_

**~Tonight, I Love You by The Latency~**

A Few Weeks Later,

August Twenty-First

Loud cries filled the delivery room at Seaford Hospital; Kim finally releasing Jack's hand and wiping her eyes, trying to stop the never-ending tears. "It's a boy," was repeated through the room, Jack's heart still leaping when he saw the slightly bloody face of his little boy.

The nurses cleaned him off, Jack feeling some of his own tears prick at his irises as he watched them handle the newborn carefully.

The nurse who held Kim's other hand the entire time wrapped the baby in a blue blanket, bringing him over and cautiously placing him in Kim's sweaty arms.

She stared down into his dark auburn eyes, surprised at the dashes of orange that peaked through. There was only a thin layer of hair upon his head, the color of a faded blonde—close to a snow-like white.

Jack went over and kissed Kim on the forehead, then moving down and pressing a welcoming kiss to his son's. "Do you have a name?" The same nurse questioned, Jack glancing down at her nametag and feeling guilty.

The entire time this small lady was in here taking care of his family and hadn't bothered to learn her name. Nurse Teddy was printed in silly-looking letters on the blue nametag. Jack knew the name of his son; Kim and Jack didn't want it to be a careless naming as soon as he was born.

They mulled long hours over it and came up with the perfect name. Jack couldn't get the known words out, still shell-shocked that he had just became a father a few minutes ago.

The exhausted blonde answered for her husband, "Scott Ryder. Scott Ryder Brewer."

Nurse Teddy smiled, her sliver curls bouncing as she went over and filled out Scott's birth certificate. Kim glanced over at Jack, her smile fading slightly when she saw the cool tears cascading down his cheeks, his wedding ring bright in the sweaty room.

His eyes were locked on Scott, a sad smile coating his lips.

"Jack?" She questioned her voice quieter than she wanted it to be. He looked up from Scott, almost leaping out of his seat to tug Kim into a constricted hug. She gasped at the sudden contact, Jack being careful not to smash Scott between them.

"I'm just glad the two most important things in my world are happy and healthy. I love you."

Over the course of the day, Jack and Kim were beyond tired between the family members that visited them along with the strains of learning how to take care of a baby. Kim had noticed how distant Jack was being the entire day, he hadn't held little Scott once.

She was worried about his odd behavior but brushed it away so that she could get some sleep.

The digital clock on Jack's phone read one am in thin white letters, the man sighing heavily. He glanced over to his little boy cocooned in Kim's arms, taking note of the tight hold his wife had on Scott.

Kim had wanted a little girl of course, she had the name Maddison May all picked out and ready.

Jack was gunning for a little girl too actually; he thought having a little guy to follow him around would be too big of an affliction. Jack was dealing with the burden of not following in Hank's footsteps so he had figured that getting a little girl would be easier. But now here he was, with his son snoozing soundly in Kim's arms next to him.

He bit his lip and looked over, the thought valiant in his mind about how he didn't hold Scott yet.

Of course he loved his son; Jack was just petrified that he would crush him or drop him.

Or turn into Hank.

"Come on," He muttered, shoving his cell phone back into his jeans pocket. His right hand started to fumble with the hem of his grey t-shirt. "You can do this Jack,"

He kept repeating that phrase in his head as he reached over and gently plucked Scott from Kim's hold. Jack lowered the boy into his lap, being careful to keep his head supported.

A few seconds later, Scott's eyes opened.

Jack couldn't get over the beautiful color of his eyes. Orange, brown and red combined to make a dimmer sunset color.

They were diverse but . . . different was good.

A strangled cry started to leave the baby, Jack's eyes growing wide. "Hey, hey it's okay." He started to rock Scott gradually back and forth—hoping he didn't wake Kim. She was past beat and he didn't want to be the cause of less sleep for her.

She needed all the sleep she could get.

Scott quieted down, Jack letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Scott watched Jack carefully, observing the way a soft smile ghosted over his mouth.

His lips moved to form words that Scott didn't understand, besides the one short name at the end.

These people in the room were his mommy and daddy; Scott couldn't be happier that he was stuck with these two.

As Scott was lost in his unusual baby thoughts, he didn't notice how Jack's hand started to lose the grip it held.

All the boy could see was the flash of the ceiling as he started to fall towards the abyss of title flooring below.

* * *

Something went wrong.

Jack sat in the Scrapyard by himself almost a year later.

That night in the hospital haunted him like no other and he barely held Scott enough as it was.

Jack had held Scott maybe three times in the baby's lifetime. He had dropped Scott but caught him before his head hit the floor, his foot hitting the side of the nightstand next to the hospital bed. The baby had started crying loudly, waking Kim and throwing Jack into a sort of shock.

To sum it up, neither parent wanted to ever speak of that moment again or have it happen again.

Kim and he were twenty five.

This was supposed to be the ultimate of their life, where everything was okay. It wasn't though, it was far from okay. Jack would work long hours at the station, getting home later than ten almost every night.

He wasn't happy.

He wasn't happy with Kim or with Scott.

Maybe it was April from work who threw these thoughts in his mind, chatting over decaf coffee for hours. Jack always got a laugh with how her hair was a unlike shade of colors every day. Jack hated to admit it, but he was having more fun at work chasing down criminals than at home.

At home he didn't get to relax; he had to deal with Scott who cried non-stop. Kim always said that the baby cried for him but Jack usually just ignored her and went into the other room.

They hadn't shared a chaste kiss in ages, let alone a short hug.

He wasn't ready to be a father, it was all too soon.

Jack was just like Hank, maybe even worse.

Everything he tried to prevent happened anyway. Maybe it was time to give up, that was always present sometime during each day, no matter how much he tried to prevent it.

So now he sat here in his obscure police uniform; the sun beating down on his back. His fingers ripped the grass from the ground one by one, his orbs held no care as he did it over and over again.

What he didn't expect to suddenly hear were footsteps behind him, mentally groaning with the thought that Kim and Scott found him.

They were the only ones who knew about the Scrapyard, no one else was supposed to know about it anyway.

"I didn't expect to find anyone out here," His head whipped around when it wasn't Kim's pissed off voice that entered his ears, but instead the playful one of April Clark. She took a seat next to Jack on the ground, stretching out her legs. Jack could only stare for a minute, she was absent at work with no reason why.

Rossi actually told Jack that if he heard from her to tell her one more 'non-excused' absence and she was fired. April was two years younger than Jack and worked as a dispatcher at the station, Jack and she became friends when Scott was about six months old.

The woman's hair was a powerful hue of dark blue today, some black mascara dabbed over her eyelashes along with a light shade of blush applied to her cheeks. She was almost a foot shorter than Jack with a stick-like frame, but her attitude was carefree. Jack had asked her a few weeks back why she dyed her hair different every day, April responding with how she liked to be a new person every new day. The man swore by now she had gone through every neon color of the rainbow, now moving onto every darker shade possible.

She was someone good to know when Jack needed a break from the stress at home, one funny convo with April and everything was better.

He hoped they stayed friends for a while.

"How did you find me here?" Jack questioned, keeping the surprise in his voice as low as possible. She shrugged, pulling a faded strain of dead grass from the ground to copy Jack's actions.

She tossed it to the left, "I might have followed you to make sure you were alright, since I can't have your phone number because of good ol' Kimmy—there was no other way to make sure you were okay." Jack smiled with a light chuckle, reaching into his pocket to pull out his cell phone.

"Put your number in,"

April glanced over at him, bewildered. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, screw it. I can have friends." April grinned as she punched in her number, tossing the phone back over to Jack afterwards.

"So if she finds out—"

"She finds out I'll tell her I have a fucking buddy,"

The blush that tainted April's cheeks caused Jack to shake his head with smirk, "I'm just kidding, and if she finds out I'll tell her that we are just friends."

"Good," April was able to stutter out, running a hand through her messy hair. Some blue jays chirped from a tall pine tree a while away as an airplane whizzed by in the sky.

April unexpectedly felt warm hand over top her right hand and looked over to see Jack's hand over her's.

She looked up to his face; a smirk was still bold on his features. "Thank you for being here,"

Astoundingly his voice came out sincere and heartfelt, instead of the cocky attitude she thought would appear. April sent him a lax smile in return, disregarding the warm feeling that overtook her heart. He gave her hand a squeeze, the both of them forgetting about the friend-zone barrier they shared.

Things could be broken.

Things could be amazing.

April cleared her throat, figuring that trying to drag some type of answer out of Jack to figure out his bad mood would be better than flirting with him.

"What's going on Jack? You got a family waiting for you at home so why are you sitting out here talking to me?"

He shook his head, "I," His voice caught, as he let go of April's hand; "I wasn't ready to be a father yet. I'm still not ready April. I thought I was ready to settle down and start a family but I'm not. I don't want to be chained down by something like a kid you know?" He had trouble getting the words out, stumbling over some of the letters.

"You should be happy though; some people would be too scared to even try."

"I don't want to be tied down April," He whispered, his voice sounded heartbroken. "I want to go and party and hang out like how it was before I met Kim. Before I meant her everything was easy and then afterwards, it was all so goddamn crazy. It is goddamn crazy."

"You can't just give up on your family Jack; you have a son who is always gonna wonder why he doesn't have a dad as he is growing up."

"I grew up without a dad."

April scoffed, looking up at the sky.

"That is bullshit and you know it." Jack stayed quiet, ashamed at what he had just said. "I just, I don't know about any of it anymore. To be honest I don't even know if I love Kim anymore."

As Jack said those words, even the birds out in the trees went silent. Jack had told April all about his 'wicked love for Kim Brewer' back when they had first met, the man not sparing any details. Let's just say that April was scarred from any 'adult things' for a little while even if she is an adult herself. April thought Jack and Kim's love was that of a fairytale, one that was rare but real.

It actually fueled her to find love like theirs for herself one day.

Right now though, that fairytale ending seemed to be taking a wrong turn.

"How could love fade like that?" April's tone of voice shocked Jack; it was annoyed and wondering all at the same time.

He looked over at her, "April?"

"You say all the time how you love your family with all your heart and I'm sure that you've promised Kim that same thing over and over again. How did you suddenly stop loving her Jack? How do you suddenly start hating your family?"

"I didn't say I hated my family, I could never say that."

His voice was harsh, "Well then explain to me Jack, explain how you can stop loving someone out of the blue."

He looked like he was at a loss of words for a second before he regained the ability to speak. "I-I don't talk to her anymore. We don't talk anymore or do anything together, it's like she's just someone who has to live with me for a damn law. I don't want that, I want to be with someone who—"

"Who's the one that works all day?" April cut Jack off and he grew irritated.

"Me but I'm also the only one bringing in money. I need to work so that we have a place to live. I don't know how or why it happens April, but love doesn't always last forever. Something usually ends it sooner or later and we just have to deal with it."

April couldn't argue anymore and the tone in Jack's voice told her to end it there. He didn't know why either, he just wanted it all to be over.

The sun faded behind the horizon, darkness starting to take over the sky. April sighed and risked everything by taking Jack's hand, holding it tightly.

"Fairytales aren't real."

It was near elven at night when Jack unlocked the front door to his house, being mindful to shut it quietly behind him in case Scott was asleep. Kim would always sit up in their bedroom waiting for Jack to get home, to make sure he would get home safe and in one piece.

Jack wasn't hungry; his gut was too twisted with what he was going to tell Kim in a little while.

Twenty minutes later, he was clad in black shorts and white tank top along with disheveled hair from his shower a few minutes before. He headed into Scott's room, seeing his son deep asleep in his green crib across the room. Jack walked over, silently laughing at the bright monster outfit Scott was dressed in.

His finger lightly traced over the baby's cheek, "Hey little guy, I'm gonna be gone for a little while. You hang in there alright?" He knew the words leaving his mouth were weak, but at the same time there was nothing else he could really say.

He was leaving.

Jack walked out of the baby's room, heading towards the master as the clock signaled the time of eleven thirty.

There was no backing out of this now, he thought; his gut winding once again when he saw the light leaking out into the hallway from the bedroom he was approaching. Jack tried to walk as slow as possible, trying to deny the unavoidable. He thought back to April's words about how life wasn't a fairytale but right now in that moment, he wished it could be.

He didn't want to string Kim along on false words, even if the word 'love' scarcely left his mouth already.

She deserved to know the truth, that what they had faded—that their magical story had finally come to an end.

Jack just hoped it wouldn't be as messy as he was thinking it would turn out. He entered his room, seeing Kim sitting up in bed chomping on her fingernails.

She had been so apprehensive that particular night for no real reason. He sent her a trivial smile when she looked over to him, Jack saw her visually ease.

His stomach clenched as he approached the bed, Kim allowing the frown to finally withdraw from her face. "Hey," Jack's voice came out dry and forced, coughing afterwards to hide it the best he could. He was being such a wimp, not admitting his true feelings.

His mind was buzzing with different ways to start the conversation, too busy to focus on one direct opening word.

"Hey, are you feeling alright? Hard day at work?" She always showed him every level of compassion when he entered through the door, being low and conserved in case he came home a certain night with his head pounding because of the latest arrest.

Kim always cared through thick and thin but Jack stopped caring a long time ago. He got into his side of the bed, pulling the covers over his lower body.

Maybe it was because it was the same damn thing each day; Jack tried to reason with himself.

There was always a reason for everything . . . right?

Maybe he wanted spontaneous along with unfamiliar instead of repetitive. He felt Kim's hand on his arm, his body shivering from the warm contact.

But this was his wife; could he really leave his wife who he promised to stay with forever and always?

In sickness and in health?

"Kim—"

She outlined patterns on his arm stopping his rant before it started; first a circle, then a square. She finished with a simple triangle going over is gallant veins. He watched her, memorized for a moment. They hadn't had any physical interaction in years, why the sudden change?

Did she know he was about to leave her?

"I'm worried about you Jack," He was surprised with how quiet her voice went and how much dismay was lace through each individual letter. Jack wanted to shove her touch off his arm, why was she doing this all now?

"Why?" His teeth weren't exactly clenched in frustration, but close to it.

"You remember my dad died because he was a firefighter," Jack nodded, Kim's hand moving to calmly rest on his shoulder. "I-It's just that every day you leave before I can even say goodbye and then I fear all day afterwards. What if you don't come back the one time we don't say 'I love you' to each other?"

Those words seemed out of place in Kim's mouth; Jack hadn't heard them in ages—even if she was just using it as an example. He needed to stop this before it got too far, before he wouldn't be able to say what he needed to say.

"We haven't said that in a long time Kim. But I need to tell you something before you—"

"What if you left your job?"

This wasn't supposed to be happening, it was going to be an easy cut-off. But instead it was turning into one of the hardest things Jack would have to do, after the things this talk would most likely bring up.

He played with his hands under the blanket.

Panic gripped him in a hold so tight he thought he couldn't breathe.

How the hell was he going to do this?

Jack collected himself enough to answer, not expecting the aftermath. "I can't leave my job Kim, I'm supposed to protect and serve the people of Seaford Township; not ditch them when they need it."

"What does that even mean Jack? You put your damn life on the line every single day for 'protecting and serving' people who aren't innocent." Jack was dazed by the force behind each word, how every lone one made him re-think his lifetime of being a cop.

She always had that meek effect on him.

"I protect the people that need to be protected and serve the innocent."

"You risk your life for nothing. You have a baby boy who could suddenly be father-less."

Jack's anger started to take over his words as his phone vibrated from the spot it took next to him on the nightstand, "He will never be father-less because I am one of the best on the damn force." His voice rose to a shout as he reached over to glance at the one new text he gained.

The name 'April' flashed across the screen. Jack forgot to keep the text out of Kim's vison as he read it, his mouth staying in a firm line.

Hey how is everything going? If she kicked you out after the news, you can stay over here.

He didn't have enough time to text back as Kim grabbed his phone, "What news?" She questioned in a growl as he nearly freaked out with her stealing his phone.

"Give me that back Kim," He swore he tried to stay composed, but that word wasn't in Jack's dictionary if someone pissed him off.

"What damn news?" Her voice was a bark now, rage in her face.

"Kim—"

"Why is some random ass girl asking if you need to stay over?"

"Kim its nothing,"

"Stop with the damn excuses Jack! What the hell is going on?" He jumped out of the bed and spit it out before he could stop himself.

"I was trying to tell you this entire night that I was going to ask for a fucking divorce!" The silence was deafening, equal to the crack of a gun next to your ear. Kim stared gawking at her husband, his hands formed fists next to his sides. Kim couldn't process it fully.

She was losing her husband.

"Out," She whispered, lifting her deflated body from the bed. Her head hung low as Jack scoffed.

"You can't kick me out of my own house—"

"Get out!" She screamed, pushing him hard in the middle of his chest. Jack exhaled from his nose, closing his eyes.

Then he suddenly moved forward, pushing Kim all the way to the far wall with his chest as his hands slammed next to her head on the wall, the imprints and force causing the wall to crack.

Without a word he stared at her, noticing the terror and felt nothing inside about the tears running down her cheeks.

Then he left her there and headed to the front door, grabbing his keys, shoes, phone and wallet.

He slammed the door behind him, causing the house to quake in his absent.

Kim slid down to the floor, the tears continuing to slowly glide down her cheeks as Scott's cries were heard down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

**~Author's Note~  
You guys almost didn't get an update—school is being a pain in my ass. So please do not hate me for this chapter. Keep in mind I like happy endings on **_**almost **_** everything. Thank you for the wonderful reviews, favorites and follows. **

**Read, enjoy and review :)**

* * *

**4**

_Trouble always seems find_

_A way to live inside my mind_

_My haunted head and me remain alone_

_Underneath my masquerade_

_A simple man who's so afraid_

_I try to find a light to guide me home_

**~Another Broken Hero by Ozzy Osbourne~**

One Year Later

What did he just do?

His mind was jumbled into a million different thoughts, head pounding in a steady beat just like a drum. He sat up and looked around the room, everything from the night before hitting him like a ton of bricks.

He couldn't justify the mistake, it was already done.

He wasn't drunk when it happened; he wasn't hyped up on anything.

This was his mistake, his and only his that he wouldn't be able to fix.

Jack had promised Kim forever and no one else.

He said he wouldn't betray her, that he was only hers. But that was all lost now, it was too late and something he couldn't take back.

He was afraid of it all, he wasn't sure if he would be able to do it all by himself. He glanced over to see who was on the other side of the bed he was in and kept his face emotionless at the naked back that stared back at him.

He felt nothing.

The muted color of crimson colored hair seemed to be watching the man, silently mocking him for how screwed up his life currently was. Jack shook his head as he gently pushed the blankets off him, pulling on his discarded gray sweatpants on from their spot by the bed as he headed to the bathroom.

He needed to get a drink and clear his head, so many things were swarming around his head, buzzing and buzzing.

Jack left the door ajar behind him as he turned on the sink, feeling the cold water fall gracefully through his fingers. He sighed, cupping his rough hands to bring some of the cool liquid up to his lips; causing the vibrant buzzing in his head to cease into a dull ache.

So much was screwed up and so much was his fault. Jack felt his hands drop back under the faucet, but his concentration was already numb to the memories that had started to plague him.

Directly after he left Kim scared to death in her room, he disappeared to a party and got so drunk he couldn't remember his own name. Then he might have kissed a few girls before April appeared and dragged him to her house. It was all fuzzy after that, the woman's couch became his new home.

Their friendship had grown to the max, Jack taking her out places to show April his gratitude for letting him stay there amiss all the other shit that had been going on in the past year.

The divorce papers were finalized by the second week after _that _night, Kim not wanting Jack to have anything to do with Scott. He fought against that, saying that Scott was his own flesh and blood. His ex-wife wouldn't have any of it though, Jack's mind shooting back to that court day.

Kim had only looked at him once, the pure malice cutting into him like a damned chainsaw.

She had her mother with her, who had to keep bringing Scott in and out of the court room because they couldn't afford a babysitter. Jack didn't have to pay any money yet so he took it all, leaving Kim with just a house and bare walls.

Did he feel bad about that?

Looking back on it, yes, but back a few weeks ago—not so much.

If Kim would have just allowed him to be able to see his baby; everything would have been mutual and easier. But she had to go and push his buttons so damn much, it drove him crazy.

All that love for her disappeared, for no real reason at all.

It preoccupied Jack day and night, why it all suddenly stopped but no answer would ever arise; April having to force him to bed some nights because his mind wouldn't shut off.

For the longest time he wanted to give the blonde a reason, any at all for why he suddenly left but none came to him.

Eventfully he gave up, just in time for the court date.

Jack had felt nothing up to the moment when Scott started to crawl towards him, one adorable giddy smile plastered on his face.

_A hand was placed on his shoulder, causing Jack to snap his head to glare at the person. No type of reassurance was going to make him feel better, unless it was the magical type that could make everything seem like it never existed. He heard his son's whines from across the room, not daring to send one regard over that direction. _

_The warm eyes of his mother stared back at him, holding the same amount of attitude they had years ago. No words were shared for a minute, until Jack shattered that by wrapping his arms around her tightly. His head came to rest in the crook of her neck, fingernails gripping securely onto the back of her worn indigo cardigan. _

_Virginia's hand rubbed his back a little, salty menaces jabbing at her eyes. _

_She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling at peace with her son laced around her frail body. "I love you mom," She was flabbergasted to hear the hoarse voice of her child mutter such a modest yet defeated sentence in her ear but still beyond pleased to have him in her arms once again._

"_I'm sorry about everything Jack," She whispered, keeping her voice low. Virginia Brewer was short and plum person with skinny arms. Some thin black hair was present on her head, sunset colored eyes gleaming. Jack could elaborately feel the burden of everything being lifted off of his heart as he stayed in the embrace of his mother; "and I love you too." _

_Everyone knows how that feels, knowing you are needed somewhere by someone. _

_That unbelievable feeling that you're soaring above everyone else and nothing can stop you. _

_That was all Jack needed in that second, something edging him on in a good way. _

"_I'm just glad you're here mom, that's all that matters." _

_The blonde watched as her mother took little Scott into his arms, hushing him as his cries slowly ceased. Kim couldn't deny that there was envy in her stare; all her mother had done for her? _

_Telling her over and over again that Jack was a bad seed from the start. _

_Jean wasn't too good at comforting people and Kim had known that for years but all she wanted was for some type of other care to leave her mouth. Besides the words of 'I told you so'. _

"_Honey, why are you staring? That man doesn't even deserve the time of day." Jean's voice had a strict tone to it, the hate aimed towards Jack leaking through. _

"_I don't know why mom, I don't know." Kim turned her head back towards her mom and baby, who was now soundly snoring in her mother's arms. _

"_He did a horrible thing to you Kim; I knew he wasn't right when—" _

"_Don't you think I know that already? You've only told me this entire time what your thoughts are about this!" Her raised voice caused some heads to face her, including the orbs of Virginia. Jack kept his eyes on the ground. _

"_Kim," Jean lamented, her fingers unintentionally tapping different Bon Jovi beats on Scott's back; "quiet down." _

"_I can't help what I think mom," Kim's voice was scratchy and lowered to a mumble. _

_The older woman could tell how much the entire vast event was overpowering her daughter and in that moment she wished that Vince could be there—holding the both of their hands. _

_What would he do? _

"_Everything will work out Kim, I know it will." _

_Kim shook her head, "I don't think it all will, this is about if Scott can be shared or banned by one parent. What if I lose my baby?" Jean shook her head, reaching out her hand to pull Kim closer to her. _

"_It will baby, I promise." _

"_Mommy, I don't want to lose my baby." _

_Her voice was broken, "You lost the love of your life. You aren't loosing me too, I promise." Jean pulled Kim into a sincere hug, the younger woman sighing heavily. _

"_Why did all of this happen to me?" Her voice was equal to a youngster's, quiet and interrogative. _

"_Sometimes people stray from the path they are meant to be on, it was nothing you could prevent Kimmy." _

_Kim's body tensed up at the mention of her unwanted nickname. _

_Jack would always be an ass and call her that, smirk present and eyes occupied of a playful blaze. _

_She risked a glimpse over towards the devil himself, his arm was placed around his mother's shoulders in a protective hold. She inwardly scoffed, watching carefully just as a cry left Scott. Kim moved away from her mom and tugged the baby from her arms, his cries only growing greater. _

"_Hey, hey what's the matter?" She questioned, feeling her ex-husband's eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. He probably thought she hurt him, Kim thought with abhorrence as she bounced Scott up and down. _

"_Didn't you say he had just started to crawl?" _

_Jean inquired as Kim nodded, "Yeah scared me to death a few days ago. Why?" _

_Kim's mother took Scott back and placed him on the ground, his exclamations stopping promptly. The blonde was shocked for a second and went to pick her baby back up but Jean stopped her. _

"_Let him go, he needs to move around before he go in." _

"_Mom, the floor is dirty—" _

_Jean rolled her eyes with a petite laugh, "He's a boy, he gonna be rolling around in mud puddles soon." _

"_Mom—" _

"_Oh shush, I'll help you throw him in the bath later." Kim groaned quietly, completely disagreeing with her mother's words but letting her son be free none the less. Kim and Jean followed close by to Scott as he quickly crawled across the room, stopping at the feet of Jack. _

_He started to reach his tiny hand out, fingers outstretched to touch Jack's blue Nikes but Kim swiftly picked him up before he could. Jack met Kim's eyes as she hushed Scott, noting the pure bitterness that now coated her usual generous irises. _

_He didn't even know that his hand was extended towards her until he looked down and quickly pulled it back to rest at his side. Virginia grabbed his hand to remind her son not to say anything stupid as Jean cleared her throat. Kim hoped her mom wouldn't let all of her thoughts fly, or else a beat-down would be very possible. _

"_Come on Kim, it won't help anything if we are seen standing here." Jean yanked at her daughter's arm but Kim stayed put, opening her mouth to say one last word to Jack. Just one last thing to rendezvous his mind. _

_She hoped it brought him pain, more so than the current type she was dealing with. _

"_You deserve to rot. In. Hell." Jean moved her hands so that they were covering Scott's ears, exhaling. _

"_Kim—" _

"_Thanks to you my kid is going to grow up asking why he doesn't have a dad like everyone else in school. He will constantly have to learn things on his own because I won't know how to answer his questions right. So I hope you enjoy your life, with the guilt weighing you down so much you suffocate." _

_Jack didn't answer; his hands didn't even clench at his sides—his gut bound with remorse already. _

_He wanted to say so much to her but at the same time, saying so much could cause so many more problems. _

_So instead he stayed mute as the two women in front of him turned and walked away; a tear slipping down his cheek. _

Jack lost custody of Scott that day.

The judge ruled him as an unfit father.

Sure he was pissed about the whole thing but he sure as hell wasn't unfit in any way.

"Jack?" He didn't turn around as the quiet voice questioned him, his eyes watching her reflection in the mirror. She stood in the doorway, his baggy old spider man t-shirt thrown over her unadorned body. Her hair was wiry but her eyes were awake with inquiries.

"I just got up to get a drink." Jack's voice came out oppressed, gravelly. April moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his bare waist and setting her chin on his shoulder.

"Jack," He cut her off before she could ask one of the most repeated questions in history.

"I'm perfectly fine, everything is fine." April waited before she answered, her fingers dancing over his abs.

"No you aren't." She didn't even try to keep the composed tone in her voice hidden. That tone made Jack push her away from him, that dull, unsurprised tone made it seem like she had already known the answer and Jack hated it. April couldn't relate to him, she was merely a distraction.

An annoying one at that.

"Don't do that." He claimed lowly, April sporting a muddled look on her face.

"Do what?"

"Use that stupid tone of voice like as if you can understand every single thing I'm going through!" He didn't expect his voice to rise to a bellow but it did and he muttered a small 'sorry' afterwards. It was all too much.

He walked back into her bedroom and pulled open the curtain to the window, revealing the shell of the rising sun.

The clock next to the bed read six in the morning to aid the sun going up. The sky was an array of different colors, purple, yellow, blue, black—the entire rainbow if you squinted.

Kim showed him that fact on their two year anniversary, how the sun and the moon isolated an entire rainbow in their mist.

"God damn it," Jack muttered, running a hand through his hair.

He was thinking about her again, jealous of her again.

She wouldn't leave his head, it was like she had secretly made a home in one of his brain cells and wouldn't leave.

Kimberly Crawford would just _not _leave his mind alone.

A dog barked across the street, probably Henry LeBell's mutt Milkshake. That was the sweetest dog on the block, a mix of a Rottweiler and Golden Retriever. Vicious if you dared to break into his shack of a home, but absolutely gentle besides that.

What if Scott ended up wanting his own puppy?

Would Kim be able to afford it?

Would she even say yes?

Jack loved dogs, but he hated Grey Hounds—would Scott want a Grey Hound?

Or would he follow Kim and be a sucker for kittens?

Was he allergic?

It all drove him crazy; he didn't have the slightest clue about his own son because he left. It beleaguered him every day.

"Jack why can't you just move on already? They have probably forgotten about you, so why can't you do the same?"

"How do you know that for sure?" Jack fired back, his heart rate mounting. He could hear the rapid pounding everywhere, in his head all the way down to the tips of his toes. It was like a jackhammer was in use inside of him.

"Because everyone forgets sometime." Her discreet voice seemed to bring him back to shore, soothing the drumbeat of his heart. It lowered the beat to more of a tap, tap instead of a mosh-pit-like crash of drums.

"A—"

He turned around to face her but she brought him into a hug instead, feeling his waterworks on her shoulder. He was blubbering inaudible verses to unknown words, April rubbing his back as his full weight was supported by her arms.

"I need her, I miss her, I love her." Were among his unidentified sniveling and April felt her heart sink but she didn't move.

"I know what that's like Jack, I know how you feel. Loving someone who doesn't love you, who doesn't feel the same way. I know how you feel."

* * *

Life is hard when you are a single mom. Kim was learning that the hard way. With her mom having to take countless business trips, Scott was able to reach and grab anything in his sight of sight to pull onto the floor and then laugh an adorable baby laugh afterwards. Kim was having trouble balancing everything; she wished someone could be at her side and help her out.

She was currently at Shoprite, Scott buckled into the cart seat and so far only cereal in the actual cart. He was behaving pretty well for them just getting there, but that stopped when he went to pull down a box of Oreos and three packs feel down along with the sole double stuffed package.

His laugh sounded through the aisle, Kim almost cussing out loud. She went to bend down and pick up the fallen cookies until a masculine voice stopped her.

"No I got it," A man about two years older but the same height of Kim appeared by her, gently picking up the packs of Oreos and placing them back on the metal shelf. He stood up straight and Kim suddenly felt unprotected under his caring stare.

He had such a compassionate aura radiating off him but at the same time she also felt insecure without her wedding ring on her now bare finger.

He was probably thinking some choice words of 'slut' and 'whore' under his breath when his piercing avocado eyes glanced over at Scott who was giddily smiling in his spot, having snatched Kim's car keys from her purse resting next to him on the seat.

But he didn't walk away like Kim thought he would, instead he stood there; pushing his long dirty blonde hair out of his eyes and holding out his hand. Kim took it and their handshake lingered longer than it should have.

"Thank you, I'm Kim." The man laughed, pulling his hand away with a large smile.

"Anything for a beautiful woman like yourself. I'm Reese Holden, at your service." Kim couldn't help but beam as well as blush and Reese clicked his tongue, "There's a lovely smile! So tell me, what's a gorgeous girl like you doing here all alone with a lovable little baby?"

He reached out his finger to Scott who grabbed it with a grin. It took Kim a moment to find her words as she cleared her throat. "This is my son Scott," Reese didn't seem fazed by Kim's words, instead bringing out his wallet and handing it over to the little toddler.

She noticed how he glanced at her bare ring finger for a spilt second.

"He's darn cute," He answered, watching Scott with happiness.

"Thank you but I'm just warning you—he likes to throw things."

Reese nodded, "Well I'm broke anyways so there isn't really anything to throw lucky for him."

Scott started to attempt to pull out Reese's license as Kim surveyed thankfully. He had saved her at just the right time to help her and he was a total sweetheart as well. "So where is the lucky father?"

Kim's gut dropped at the mention of Jack, she didn't even want to say his name.

Or think about him for that matter.

"Um . . . well he kind of . . . left." It came out so stupid, Kim wanted to slap herself afterwards. She was stunned to see Reese turn towards her with a gloomy expression on his features.

His chiseled jaw actually went tight with slight anger, "I'm sorry to hear that, I have a friend whose husband left her too. Let's just say her tears easily soaked through ten pars of my shirts."

As he mentioned that, Kim gave him an once-over and impassively chuckled at the 'Built Ford Tough' tank top he had. To top it off, he had on sandals and Adidas black and white stripped shorts. She could tell he had a care-free attitude.

"I was like that for a little bit," She admitted softly, his emerald eyes seemed like they already knew everything about her. The warmth in them caused Kim to just _want_ to break down and tell him everything. Without warning, he pulled her into a tight hug, Kim gasping at the sudden contact but then relaxing afterwards.

His burly body engulfed her's completely and she was actually thankful for the interaction. "I'm sorry about all of that," He mumbled, "but I can help you if you'd like."

Kim thought for a moment, hearing Scott squeal in glee as he finally pulled Reese's license from his wallet.

"I would love that," She answered as they pulled away and his smile was infectious.

She didn't want to be afraid anymore.

* * *

Jack and April sat at the kitchen table eating, Jack shoveling in his scrambled eggs faster than a vacuum cleaner. "Damn Jack, at least leave some for the ants," April dead-panned as he smiled. After their little mishap earlier on that morning, everything was finally getting straightened out again. Jack was calmer about everything and ready for work.

Neither had brought up what had happened the night before yet.

"The ants don't need to eat my delicious cooking; I'll give them some leftovers of your horrible microwaveable hot pockets instead." April reached over and punched his shoulder, causing Jack to laugh out loud.

"My cooking isn't that horrible you asshole, Milkshake likes it."

"He likes it because all Henry feeds him is milkshakes. The day that dog has some real food well be the day hell freezes over."

"Well then maybe you should make him a meal and see what happens."

Jack sneered good-humoredly, "Hell no, I don't want to be the reason why all the damn idoits are left in this world!"

April ate the last piece of toast on her plate and then stood up to go and wash her plate, picking Jack's clear one as well. "Thanks," He checked his phone and the time of seven seventeen occupied the screen. "Damn Rossi is going to have our heads if we aren't at the station in twenty minutes. Will you be ready in five?"

April turned off the sink after she washed her hands, turning towards Jack. She thought he looked so handsome all decked out in his police uniform, messy hair as crazy as ever. She started to wonder if the night before met as much to him as it did to her.

"Jack,"

She stated carefully, wondering if she should even been treading in such uncharted waters; "Yeah?"

"When are we going to talk about what happened last night?" She announced, not giving him a second to think. Jack's eyes down casted to the floor for a second and then back to her face, perceiving the uneasiness in her eyes.

"What about last night?"

"What we did," There was no turning back now, she thought as Jack stood up with a heavy sigh.

"I don't know, continue on as usual?" April felt her heart halt in that moment, every piece smashing into fragments. He wasn't looking in her direction, instead pulling on his boots by the front door. She walked over to him, keeping her footsteps light.

How could he say that?

How could he do this to her?

"But—"

"Oh shit," He suddenly exclaimed, turning towards April whose eyes were wide. "You are on the pill right? Because I think I forgot to—"

She cut him off before he could finish, "Yeah, yeah of course." She muttered, Jack sending her a smile.

"It was just a onetime thing; I couldn't stand the thought of losing you to something so stupid." He finished tying his left boot as he opened the front door; "Outside in ten at the most?"

April sent him a fake smile, "Yeah, give me a minute." He nodded and headed towards his car, shutting the front door with a slam behind him.

April stood there for a moment, the devastated woman trying to collect her thoughts.

He didn't care, she lost her virginity to him and he didn't care one little bit.

She loved him and he didn't give a crap.

Then a thought struck her as she headed down the hall to the bathroom, opening up the cabinet above the sink and taking out the round package of birth control pills.

With a flick of her wrist they were in the trashcan, never to be seen again. She smiled, looking at her tired face in the mirror.

"He will just have to learn how to love again," She muttered, imaging herself with a pregnant belly.

Friendships like theirs either turn into something more or never last right?

April was making sure it wasn't the latter.


	5. Chapter 5

**~Author's Note~  
So this update was really delayed, sorry about that . . . school with no way around it. I have no idea how the updates are going to work, so bear with me. I have a few things to say, number one thank you to everyone who reviewed and read the last chapter; it means a ton.**

**Number two; I have a few words for that super **_**"nice" **_**reviewer who decided to spam my story. Thanks for bumping up the reviews to above sixty; that's awesome. But at the same point just one simple review with your option on my story was enough. I understand what you're saying about how the last chapter was a little sad but there is no need to spam story about it. This is rated teen, which means there will probably be heavy material in here sooner or later considering my other stories. I don't not however appreciate you saying to remove my story. There are plenty worse stories on here all throughout fanfiction, with worse content than my story. (No meaning to bash anyone) Just because one little thing was 'sad' isn't a good enough reason to abandon my story. I hate sad ending as I have said over and over again so if there is sadness it will maybe last about a paragraph. Would you rather me kill everyone off like seriously—but once again thank you for your **_**generous**_** reviews. *rolls eyes* **

**Sorry about that, took me forever to say that in the **_**nicest **_**way possible. **

**Thank you also to those who stood up to that reviewer, it means everything that you have my back :)**

**Read, enjoy and review! :D**

* * *

**5**

_All the decades and the years have passed_

_Not every family is built to last_

_No time can take away these memories_

_Remember when you said to me, that we'd be alright_

**~1979 by Good Charlotte~**

Six Years Later . . .

Nothing is ever built to last.

Some things can just take all of the setbacks longer, still standing strong afterwards. Other things though, crash long before they can even make it halfway.

Tattered before the hardest challenge is even thrown at them.

Kim always thought it would last forever, but it got demolished long before that.

Now here she was, with a caring long-term boyfriend and adorable little seven year old son.

Why couldn't she commit?

Every day Jack was pushed to the farthest part of her mind, it goes to show that your past mistakes haunt you longer than the present screw ups do.

Reese was completely willing to do anything for Kim; no matter if it was waiting longer for her hand in marriage or having to deal with her snarky attitude at times when she was pissed.

He wanted kids.

And here Kim was, holding up his dreams because she claimed she _still _wasn't ready after six years.

They hadn't slept together; they vaguely passed the heated kissing stage. They got together two years ago, after being close friends for four. Reese cared for Scott like he was his own, but both adults knew that the boy was really neither's.

Scott was nearly a duplicate of Jack; same arrogance, same everything.

Of course Kim loved her child, but he was a walking reminder of Jack; waking her up with a goofy grin every morning. The blonde wanted to start over, she yearned for a new life.

But she couldn't do that if constant reminders of her old one were shoved in her face every day.

Her phone alarm went off at half past eight, blaring the chorus of 'Sugar, We're Going Down' by Fall Out Boy. You could never beat the classics of course. She lazily threw her arm over and slammed the snooze button a little bit harder than needed.

Her action caused Reese to jolt awake, eyes wide and alert.

He had always been a light sleeper; her midnight tries to sneak in a bowl of ice cream at night at a standstill by his all-knowing-smirk when she would turn around. Jack was probably able to sleep through a damn hurricane, Kim thought bitterly one time after her umpteenth attempt to finish off the carton of Cookie Dough with Reese appearing and scolding her playfully like a child.

"Will you ever learn to actually sleep?" Kim whispered drowsily, her eyes still closed as she rolled towards the center of the bed.

"Will you ever learn to not take up the entire bed?" He countered back, gently giving her shoulder closest to him a light shove.

"Good morning to you too," Kim muttered, groaning when she felt him sit up next to her. "Can't we sleep in today? Isn't it Sunday?"

"Well," He answered, standing up and glancing back over at his girlfriend with a comical look gracing his features; "no because I have a meeting until this evening in the town over. While you told me that Tom wanted you to come in today to take notes at _his _meeting."

Kim finally opened up her eyes, staring directly into Reese's bright green ones.

"Shit, I actually forgot about that."

"That's why I'm here Kim, to make sure you never forget about being a human with a job." He replied lightheartedly, "I'll go wake up Scott."

He left the room, Kim sighing as she closed her eyes again. She worked as a helper to one of Seaford's biggest building companies, while Reese worked as a simple business man for the daily paper. Kim didn't like her job, she had always wanted to be a teacher but the chance never came. Scott already had to go to school as it was.

He was still in kindergarten, just a more advanced one. He wasn't getting the facts enough to move onto first grade so he stayed where he was. Kim got mad at times, wondering why Scott was slow considering she graduated with all A's and Jack at least made it through with some B's and C's. Then she would cuss herself out afterwards, thinking such stupid little thoughts.

Suddenly laughter filled her ears as a round head of bleach blonde hair filled her now open orbs, attempting to tickle her stomach. Scott's dark colored eyes were filled with the same spirited glow, as she went to tickle his sides first. Reese watched from the doorway, a sad smile on his face.

He loved them both so much, but he wanted a son with his hair and Kim's lively eye color.

None of Jack's figure or Jack's eye color or Jack's smile.

He wanted all of that to be Kim and his.

"Alright mister, go get ready for school—you know the drill." Scott fell backwards on the bed next to Kim, arms thrown out wide with an over-dramatic exhale escaping him.

"Do I have to mommy?" Kim laughed, risking a glance at Reese who shook his head.

"Yes Scott, you have to. What if you don't go and then some other cool dude picks up a new girl?" Scott's eyes lit up, showing off his toothy grin and nearly bolting from his mother's bed.

"No other kid is gonna take a hot girl away from me!" Both adults chuckled as Kim stood up, stretching her arms.

"She got all of that girl shit from you Reese,"

"Me?" Reese repeated, taking a step towards Kim. "Never."

She rolled her eyes as his arms snaked around her waist. His warm breath was in her face, and she looked into his eyes.

"If I recall correctly, you told him what a 'hot chick' was." He smiled, his thumb rubbing the small of her back.

"Maybe I did say that . . ." He paused, "Don't you want that Kim?"

Her face grew puzzled, "Want what?"

"A kid we can both share."

She wanted to be angry at him.

"Reese, I told you I'm not ready."

"Kim," He said as tease, "it's been six years."

She couldn't though.

"I'm just not ready. I'm sorry. I know you want your own family but—"

"Will you ever be ready Kim?" He mumbled, his left hand reaching up and touching her cheek. Kim wished she knew the answer as Scott hurried back into the room, tugging on Kim's pajamas.

"Can we go now mommy? I don't want to miss out on any hot chicks!"

Reese slowly let go of Kim, bending down and picking Scott up with a grunt. "I'll take you to school buddy, your mom can pick you up in the afternoon."

"Okay Reese, bye mommy!" He waved as Reese walked out of the room, not caring that he was only clad in a tank top and sweats. He could stop back at home after Kim was at work.

Scott never picked up calling Reese 'dad' even though both parents wanted him to; they tried over and over again with all their might with no success. Kim could admit that she was partly glad that Scott didn't call Reese 'dad'.

That name was reserved for Jack, even if he didn't care enough to deserve it.

Kim stared after the two most important people in her life, flinching when the door slammed.

She didn't think she would ever be ready to be with someone else forever.

She didn't want to get traumatized and left on the curb once again.

* * *

"Kid!" Little Haley Maddison hurried into the front room where her father was lifting some weights, inhaling and exhaling after each lift. She wrung her hands, looking into the dark russet eyes of her dad, trivial anxiety concealed behind her orbs.

"Bring me my bottle from the fridge." He lowered the weights back to the ground with a heavy sigh and wiped his brow with the blue towel on the floor next to him. Haley walked back into the room, an ice cold beer bottle in her tiny fingers.

When Jack glanced up and saw beer in his daughter's hands, he cursed out in annoyance. "Why the hell are you bringing me a beer bottle?" Haley failed to find the words she wanted to leave her mouth. "I meant my water bottle. Beer doesn't hydrate you kid. Stop acting so stupid,"

His voice was low with an angry tone. Haley looked down to the ground, wishing that a super hero type of mom would appear and save her from the same actions every day and night. She didn't want to find out what happened if she didn't listen to her father. "I just thought—"

Jack scoffed like an infuriated teenager, cutting his daughter off. "I only drink after work; I can't stumble in at eight in the morning. I'll lose my damn job and then we would be living in a box. Would you want that?"

"No daddy."

"That's what I thought."

Haley stood there, her long brown hair tangled and in knots as she debated her next words. She was smart for her age. Most five year olds still had trouble with ordinary things.

Haley didn't.

Jack ignored her when she tried to show him yet another perfect test score of a one-hundred when she would come home.

He ignored her all the time, the only time he cared was when he wanted a beer or had to pick her up from school or drop her off.

The mother ditched Haley with him after she was born, Jack not being able to fight off the charges or give Haley away.

There still was a heart in him, just buried deep inside.

"When are we leaving for school daddy?" Her voice was tiny, with deep auburn eyes so bright with hope that it would've caused Jack to chuckle any other time.

He sighed, scratching the bold beard that covered his chin.

"What time do you have to be there by?" He asked that same question every day, his mind still too buzzed from the night before to remember correctly.

"Nine. We only have twenty minutes to get there daddy, unless we leave now."

Haley never lost the habit of calling her father 'daddy'. She didn't have a mother so she was close to her dad, even if he didn't return the feelings. He might not be the man who would be at her side in an instant if she needed it like the superhero he used to tell her about every night; but if she was in danger Jack sure as hell would save her.

When Haley was little, Jack wouldn't let her out of his sight.

That changed about a year ago, when everything just seemed to close in on him and then everything disappeared.

"Are you ready?" His voice was uncaring, as he walked towards his room a few feet away. Haley stared after him for a second, watching carefully as he wiped the sweat off his bare chest.

The simple necklace around his neck bounced with Jack's movements; sending a gleam here and there. There was a thick sliver ring hooked on the inside of the necklace and Haley could swear that her father never took the necklace off.

There were times when he would carefully clean in the bathroom, using a cloth rag and softly making sure no scratches were present.

She believed it was the ring from her unknown mommy, and Haley was glad that her father took such good care of the plain thing.

Haley turned and headed towards the stairs, a smile ghosting over her face.

They lived in a small house, there were two rooms in a jammed upstairs' floor but it was beyond tiny. That was all Haley's and Jack lived in the large master bedroom next to the front door, his various weights and work-out equipment taking up the rest of the room in the family room. The kitchen and one bathroom downstairs were dinky. Haley turned towards the stairs and went to her room, throwing on her backpack.

Jack quickly got changed, wiping the sweat off his body and then throwing on a blue worn Pepsi t-shirt along with some faded black jeans. His navy blue Nikes were tossed on his feet after. He ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his black ripped wallet and keys, stuffing both things in his pocket as Haley appeared in the doorway.

A cheesy smile was plastered on her face and Jack sneered a little.

The smile promptly vanished.

"Got all your crap kid?"

"Yeah daddy," There wasn't a bus stop close enough to their house, so it was the same routine every day.

Jack was off from work that day.

"Damn—"

Jack's phone went off, cutting him off. He cussed softly and went across the room, not looking at the number as he picked up the phone. "Hello?" His tone was grumpy, indicating whoever was on the other end to not mess with him.

"Fuck Jack, don't you know how to be happy for once?" A small smirk highlighted his features as Haley watched from the doorway.

"No, I like to be broody all the damn time."

"Funny,"

Donna Tomlin's voice held sarcasm in her letters as she answered, "What do you want? I have to be somewhere in less than thirty minutes."

He wanted to flirt with Donna until the sun went down, but Haley needed to be at school. At least he could have time to himself that way. "I just wanted to make sure that we are still on for tonight," Her voice went down to a whisper.

"Of course," Jack said with a chuckle, "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Just making sure, what time do you want me to be there?" Jack looked over at Haley, who seemed to shrink under his gaze.

"Ten is fine; everything will be out of the way by then."

"Alright Jack, see you then."

She hung up before he could answer, a grin still fixing itself on his lips anyways.

Haley hated it when this happened.

Her dad would want her in bed by eight and she wasn't allowed to come downstairs for the rest of the night, not until he came up to tell her it was okay.

So many different girls would be in and out of the house; Haley would sometimes sit at the top of the stairs just to see what each special guest looked like, to see if any of them were her mom.

Blue hair, blonde hair, brown hair, red hair; but none with the same color eyes as hers.

Jack had told her once that her eyes came from her mom, even though they looked exactly like Jack's. He mostly said that just so he could believe he had a fragment of Kim with him at the time. Tonight was going to be one of those nights, and the little girl didn't want that to happen.

Jack sighed as he looked over to Haley who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and his heart clenched just for a second.

One, two—there went the two most important girls in his life.

Three, four—he didn't even want the only little girl left behind.

* * *

"And don't—"

"Talk to any strangers out in black vans, I know daddy, I know."

"That's my kid," He ruffled her hair as he walked up to the front door with her, both of them stopping right before they went separate ways. "Behave or else alright?"

"Yes daddy,"

"I'll pick you up at the bell," He turned and started to walk back towards his truck, Haley's wave stopping before it reached her fingertips.

"I love you daddy," She called, Jack turning his head slightly and lifting his hand in a short wave in response. Haley sighed and headed inside, heading towards her kindergarten class. She took a seat at the farthest table from the door, hoping no one sat next to her.

All the other kids would do was made fun of her and frankly, she was getting sick of it even if she couldn't do anything about it.

"Are you a hot chick?" A boy took a seat next to her, starting to pull out his pack of crayons from his Power Rangers backpack. Haley was scared to answer; she didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"My name is Haley," She settled for, her cheeks red as she stared down at her paper. Whoever this boy was, he seemed bothersome. How dare he sit next to her, she was supposed to be at a table all by herself.

"My name is Scott, nice to meet you. Reese told me to look for hot chicks but I don't know where to start. My mom doesn't help me out." Haley was silent as she pulled out a pink marker from her bag, her stomach stirring in pain. This boy, Scott, had a mommy and daddy.

Why did she only have one?

Her dad would never give her a straight answer.

"Why do you call your daddy 'Reese'?" She couldn't help it, she wanted to know. She wanted Scott to give her answers.

"Well," He paused and struggled with drawing an arm to the stick figure he was drawing. His brows ceased in concentration for a moment until he continued. "My dad left because he was scared. So Reese came in and now he takes care of me and my mom. I like him; I just call him by his name because I don't really want to call him dad."

"Why not?" Scott sighed, taking the pink marker from Haley's hand and using it to color the shirt on his paper.

"I don't want to call Reese that and then have him leave. I don't want to hurt my mommy." Scott reframed from calling his mom 'mommy' in public because he thought it made him look weak. He didn't want to look weak in front of any hot chicks.

Haley decided to open up, "I don't know who my mommy is. It's just me and my daddy." Scott glanced over at Haley as a thought struck his mind.

"Maybe I can ask Reese to come and help you out too!" Haley stopped coloring to look over at Scott, a large smile on her face—showing her missing front tooth.

"Really?"

"Yeah! He helped my family out, I'm sure he can help you out too!"

"Thank you, my full name is Haley Maddison Clark by the way."

Scott smiled as well, "Scott Ryder Brewer. I know I'm not supposed to be saying this in front of strangers, but you aren't a stranger so if you ever need to find me I live at 302 Burrow Drive." He didn't seem to be in a scary black van, so he could probably be trusted; Haley thought as she answered.

"I live at 21 Hallows Death Ave. My house isn't too big; it's the one by the creepy white tree with some weird symbol engraved on it."

"Awesome!"

Haley couldn't help but laugh and smile for the rest of class, both kids sharing little things about the other until the bell rang at the end of the day.

They walked out the front doors together, Scott pulling Haley towards Kim who was waiting at the front of her car.

"Mommy! I made a new friend—this is Haley and I told her we could let her borrow Reese so he can fix her family too!"

"Scott honey I don't—" Kim looked up when she saw a large figure come up from behind Scott and Haley; grabbing Haley's shoulder roughly and pulling her backwards.

Kim was at a loss for words as the entire world seemed to crash around her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"


	6. Chapter 6

**~Author's Note~**

**So I'm not dead, I am so so so sorry. Life has been crazy. But here is the long awaited chapter six. There might be some one-shots I post if I ever get around to writing them as well. Some in either the Kickin' It, Step Up, or Hunger Games categories. **

**I really hope this is worth the long, sucky wait. :)**

**Read, enjoy and review! :D**

* * *

**6**

_Mama told me when I was young_

_Come sit beside me, my only son_

_And listen closely to what I say._

_And if you do this_

_It will help you some sunny day._

_Take your time . . . Don't live too fast,_

_Troubles will come and they will pass._

_Go find a woman and you'll find love,_

_And don't forget son,_

_There is someone up above_

**~Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd~**

It was hard to read his voice and decide if it was hate etched in every letter or relief; those two things were far too similar those days.

The color of his eyes was worn, so damn worn that Kim knew something had happened to him. It looked like he had been through hell and back, gaining some new bruises and scars in the process. They were still that vivid shade of chocolate, just darkened.

Kim honestly was scared; she didn't know what he had witnessed in the past few years to cause his orbs to be so tired and broken.

Kim hated that, she hated it.

A part of her wanted to pull him into her arms and kiss the crook of his neck whispering muted 'I love yous' until the calloused, fiery hands of hell released their hold on him.

Kim couldn't help but feel that this was all her fault.

She took in his figure, wondering if he was married or still a cop.

Did the words that had slipped out of her mouth so many years ago mean anything?

Did spitting them out do anything?

Was he changed?

His mouth was plastered in a frown, Kim's mind flashing back to the countless smirks he used to send her way. His hair was cut the same way as before, long and stunning. His jaw was more defined, sending unstoppable chills down her spine, her mind going back to moments she always had tried so hard to forget about.

The vein in his neck was intrepid with the resentment he was trying to conceal, arms and muscles bigger than Kim remembered.

You could see that he still worked out, possibly even more than before by the present veins engraved on both of his arms; his tan skin color causing them to look more distinct than they really were. His blue shirt hung close to his body, daring her to look further; secretly pleading for her to recollect something.

His hand was outstretched and resting on Haley's left shoulder, towering over her because of the height difference.

Kim noticed no ring on either finger, not even one from their old marriage. Her face was twisted into a pure look of despair; almost like as if she got caught stealing from a cookie jar. Kim knew her face was brighter than Jack's.

She knew she was happier than he was, she knew he wasn't enjoying life at the moment.

The little girl beside him was beautiful and Kim couldn't convince herself that she wasn't Jack's even if she tried; the similar features too much to doubt.

She felt a pain in her heart at the moment, knowing that he left her and then went and had a kid with someone else.

Was it on purpose?

Or a mistake?

Did it change his life for the better like Reese did for her?

The ring resting against Jack's chest was burning a hole directly to his heart and even the rage couldn't cease how beautiful Kim looked to him. His heart was hammering in a steady beat; head a jumble of words and numbers. She was here, standing in front of him.

The young boy standing next to her was his son. Jack felt a smile tug at his lips when he saw the features on Scott, his eyes were filled with a dazed wonder. That's when the feeling sunk in.

Scott didn't know him; he didn't know a damn thing about him.

All the rage he was displaying on the outside became nonchalant suddenly, and the only thing that snapped him out of his reserve was the small cry that escaped Haley. Haley couldn't hold back the cry that escaped her lips from the tight hold Jack had on her shoulder.

Surprisingly enough; Jack wasn't even paying attention; he was too engrossed in stealing glance after glance at Kim.

He still couldn't believe she was here, standing in front of him—

"Let her go Jack," Kim didn't even remember allowing the words to leave her mouth, Jack staring directly at her with an appalled face surrounding his usually bright features. Haley glanced up at Kim and couldn't help but allow a smile to fit her lips as Scott stepped forwards and took her hand in his.

The blonde was still trying to process what she had just said, shocked at how even and firm her voice came out; a direct difference from the pain that was rippling across her heart.

All Jack could feel was his wedding ring burning and burning under his shirt, he swore to God that there was a gaping hole where his heart was and crisp edges of melted skin clinging onto the ring. Subconsciously, his grip on Haley became tighter, as if it was a small act of defiance to what Kim had uttered.

Some invisible force propelled him to challenge her, to show her she didn't have any say over what happened to Haley. Jack looked at Kim, feeling a smirk ghost over his lips.

But his throat closed under her seemingly-all-knowing gaze.

He cleared his throat after staring at her for a moment, willing himself to speak. "She's fine,"

The emotional tension that surrounded his words was enough to send Kim's heart soaring again, even if his tone screamed the words "fuck off because she's my kid".

Kim looked down at the two kids standing below them and she hoped Scott wouldn't put two and two together. She hoped he wouldn't be able to realize how similar their smiles were, how Scott's lips would pinch upwards in a smirk when something stupid happened.

Kim also noticed that grip he had on Haley's hand, her hardened features relaxing instantly at the warming sight that caused her heart to jerk in pain.

The subject had never been reviewed, about if Scott ever wanted a little brother or sister. But Haley and he looked like two peas in a pod.

"She's fine?" Kim's voice was full of disbelief and Scott turned towards his mom, his eyes full of puzzlement. "She's not fine Jack and I would think that you as her _father_ would be able to see that." There was the word everyone was trying to avoid and deny.

There was the big explosion that was trying to be fully ignored.

Jack exhaled slowly and silence ensued for a moment. Then he didn't waste a beat in answering back.

"Don't tell me what I do and don't know Kim." His voice was bold, and she could hear the escalating resentment behind his words. Kim simply shook her head in response, reaching out to Scott to gently grab his arm, but Jack's hand made it there first as he pulled Scott towards him; still managing to keep Haley in his hold.

Any words she was going to say died before they could leave her mouth, falling down into the murky abyss of nothingness below.

That's how she felt in that moment, that if Jack took Scott away she would be nothing again.

Nothing ever again.

Kim's heart dropped to her gut and for a few seconds she believed that Jack was going to take Scott away from her, just like that. A simple hit and run; her heart wouldn't be able to bare it. Scott let go of Haley's hand as he was pulled towards the mystery man named Jack.

He stayed quiet as Jack squatted down and looked at him, taking in every feature of his baby boy.

He hated how he looked at Jack like some type of monster. Maybe that was all in his head and it was just misunderstanding that riddled the boy's features but his mind was just too twisted to understand the difference, warped by rage and a burning to hurt Kim like she hurt him.

But this was his baby boy.

Jack sighed and let go of Haley to run a hand through his hair, squeezing his eyes shut for a second. Haley took this as her chance to escape it all for a second and wander towards Kim, who looked down at her and within seconds of seeing the heartbroken look on her face Kim bent down and wrapped her in her arms; trying her best to pardon her from the wrath of Jack—or whoever he was anymore.

He wasn't the same.

Kim pressed a sweet kiss to Haley's forehead, keeping her coffee orbs on her little boy held tight by Jack's grip. Haley felt some tears leak out of eyes, burying her face into Kim's body. She hadn't had a hug like this one from her dad in ages.

"It's alright, it's all gonna be okay." Kim muttered into Haley's ear, making damn sure that Jack couldn't hear her.

She didn't know what his next move would be and she wanted to make sure it wasn't anything bad. All she wanted was peace, even if that was too much to ask for.

Meanwhile Jack felt tears prick at his eyes and he ignored the feeling, urging it all to go away.

He clasped Scott's shoulder harder by accident and when he felt his child wince under his touch his heart broke.

He was done.

Kim was happy.

He wasn't.

"What's been going on son? Are you happy?" The words were so broken and quiet that Scott had to strain his ears to hear what Jack had said but his eyes widened in shock once he recollected what he had said fully.

"D-Daddy?" Scott questioned; a newfound wonder in his eyes.

This man was his father?

Why did he leave?

What happened?

So many thoughts clouded Scott's mind he didn't know what to believe.

Jack sat there for a few moments until he realized what he had just done.

He told him.

He fucking told him.

Jack wasn't supposed to say anything, it was like an unspoken agreement and now he went and said something. He stood up suddenly, nearly sending Scott to the ground. His eyes were gazed over and his voice was broken with hate and venom and love.

"Haley let's go." He was such a fucking idoit. "We need to leave now."

When she didn't walk over towards him, he went over and got her; picking her up and rapidly rushing towards his car. He had to get out of there before he screwed up the rest of his fucking life.

"Daddy—"

Her little voice was meek in his jumbled mind, only reminding him of Kim and sending a new wave of rage coursing through him.

"Shut up," He seethed, not glancing back once at the shattered family he left behind.

* * *

"Hey Kim, I'm so sorry about earlier I was being a stupid idiot and—"

"Not now Reese, I-I just need some time to myself right now."

She had rushed home after that, picking up some McDonald's for Scott and Reese whist ignoring all the directions her heart was being yanked in at that very moment. She needed to escape and leave and never come back. But there was a huge boulder blocking her way . . . and it just so happened to grab her wrist and turn her towards him.

"Whoa, whoa. Baby, what happened?" She was beyond happy that her tears didn't make an appearance yet; glad they were still hidden away.

Reese's hold moved from her wrist to both of her shoulders and she had no choice but to look up at him, her heart being jerked in yet _another _way, though this feeling felt more like something was being stabbed into her gut over and over. "Talk to me Kim, it's alright. It's always gonna be alright."

He uttered, rubbing her shoulders slowly up and down. The notion was relaxing and enough to make the fuzzy sound in her ears stop and the rapid beat of her heart to decrease. She heard Scott laugh happily at the Pokémon cartoon he was watching in the other room, reruns of the old Diamond and Pearl series.

Kim wanted to laugh at the overall pathetic way she was acting.

She wanted to cry and burst out laughing all at the same time. Was that sane? Kim didn't even know. Reese pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and then rested his forehead against hers, those beautiful damn jade irises boring into her's. Just looking at him, at the love-struck features on his face caused Kim to want to open up completely to him.

After a moment of debate and Reese gently swaying Kim's body with his, she exhaled with a shaky breath. "I saw someone today Reese. Someone I thought I would never have to deal with again . . ."

Her statement left many open questions and she could visually see the gears turning in Reese's head.

"Who would cause you so much pain—" He stopped mid-sentence as the truth dawned on him, causing his brows to cringe in abhorrence.

Irritation followed closely after as his hands played with Kim's.

"Jack?" He spit out the word like a bad piece of meat, like as if saying it would bring him undesirable discomfort. Kim nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "How did he find you?"

The blonde gulped, worried about what she could possibly say next.

She knew if she said the truth Reese would literally go on the hunt for Jack, searching high and low just to try and beat him to a bloody pulp. What threw her stomach around even more was the fact that she knew for a fact that Reese wouldn't win. Sure, Reese in ways was a wimp. He had strength, but he wasn't too beefy with fat or muscle for that fact.

With how she just saw him, how clearly obvious his new found muscles were—it was almost like Jack was waiting for a fight to come around.

Like as if Jack had something to settle with everyone and he wanted to make sure anyone that came barreling towards him could see what was coming for them before the first punch was even thrown.

"W-When I went to go and pick up Scott," Kim saw Reese flinch at the name but she couldn't blame him. It was cold enough; "he was there picking up his . . . daughter."

It hurt her beyond belief to allow that word to leave her mouth and she didn't think it would affect Reese as much as it did.

"What?" His voice was sharp, hurried, disbelieving. Any word that meant something deeply horrible—that's what he felt like shouting out. He wasn't one to curse, at all. It was usually Kim who would let one slip out in front of Reese and he would be the parent-like one to scold her and remind her that Scott was just a little boy but in that moment; there were no gates.

"She—"

He pulled away from Kim, taking a step back to steady himself.

"He had another kid? After all the shit he did to you? He got another kid to beat around?" Kim's mouth went agape. She had never heard him curse before, not once. She was equal to a fish out of water, trying to gain some type of ability to speak something rational.

"Reese—"

She was barely able to get a simple word out before he turned to her with a full-fledged fire burning deep in his eyes.

"That bastard doesn't deserve the grace of having another kid. We don't even have one and that man, that same man who haunts you at night and ripped your heart out, got another!"

"Reese that isn't true," Even though, his words held some truth considering that sometimes abruptly during the year, Kim would jolt awake to a stream of endless nightmares—all thanks to Jack. She would of course lie to Reese and claim they were about her job or loosing Scott but he never truly believed her. He wasn't one to be taken for a fool.

"Don't give me that bullshit Kim, he haunts you. Scott haunts you."

His voice was deathly low and Kim was scared for what he could really do if no one was there to stop him.

"Maybe it was an accident. There was no wedding band on his finger, why would he even want more kids if he didn't want Scott?" She tried her best to make Reese see the shadowed side of the conversation but his mind was too based on the matter at hand.

"And maybe he fucking did it for spite Kim, you don't fucking know that's for sure. You are too fucking clueless to know anything!"

Silence ensued.

They had never had a fight like this before and he had never blown his top, approaching Kim and jabbing an accusing finger in her face.

Scott was standing behind Reese, his treasured 'Sir Daddy' black and white spotted dog clutched tightly in his fingertips. His lips were tugged in a scared frown.

"Calm down Reese." Her voice was steady, even if inside she was about to freak out.

"Calm down?" He roared, causing Scott to jump slightly. Neither parent noticed his tiny trembling form. "You can't tell me to calm down, you—just, no!"

That's when all hell broke loose as his hand glided towards her shoulder in a way of trying to hit her.

"Mommy!"

She dodged to the left, glancing at him with frightened orbs. He looked at the place she used to be standing and then at the place she was standing, an appalled look present on his face.

Kim turned in the direction of Scott's voice, going over and pulling him into an tight hug as Reese stayed frozen in his spot. "Scott, baby, are you okay?"

"Yeah mommy I'm fine. What did Reese just—"

"Nothing honey, he didn't do anything. It's all gonna be okay. Come on, we are gonna go someplace for a little while." Reese finally turned towards Kim, and he reached for her.

"Baby, baby I'm sorry." She avoided his touch completely as she lifted up Scott and headed towards the door. "Kim!" He shouted, the blonde shaking her head and willing her tears not to fall. "Kim!"

This time his voice was louder, closer. Kim quickly took a glimpse in the direction where his burly form was coming from and shook her head once more.

"Go to hell Reese, and never come back." The door slammed behind her as Reese stopped and looked on, helpless completely.

Then he saw a flash of light out the small window, "Kim!"

His voice reached nothing as his family sped away.

Scott was seated in Kim's lap as she played with his blonde locks, her mind wandering off to foreign places. She had taken Scott to the only safe place she knew anymore—The Scrapyard.

This was the only place left for outcasts like them anyway.

"Mommy?" Scott's voice was quiet, nearly unheard by his mother.

"Yeah?"

"What happened with Reese mommy?" Kim sighed, shaking her head once again and finally feeling the tears fall down her cheeks.

"Nothing honey, everything is just fine. Reese just needs a few hours to himself. But I can promise this Scott. You aren't loosing me, I promise."

* * *

"Daddy? Who was that? What happened? What's going o—"

"Shut up you little bitch! I can't take it anymore!"

Jack yanked at his hair as he darted to the fridge and quickly tugged at a bottle of wine, pulling the cap off and forcing it to his lips.

He needed to escape.

He needed an escape.

He needed to die he just needed to be away from it all someway somehow. But there was no escape, not with Haley's quiet voice babbling so, so loudly in his ear; not with Kim's beautiful face imprinted in his mind forever once again.

"Shut up! Shut up!" He croaked to no one in reality, his mind was shouting and shouting and yelling and screaming.

Why did he say that?

Why did he tell Scott that he, an unfit washed out mess, was his father?

He was probably calling Reese his daddy and Jack just had to go and ruin it. He pressed the icy rim of the white wine bottle to his lips again, chugging the rest of it down in a matter of seconds. He needed something stronger; he needed to leave for a little while. Haley watched from behind him, taking note of how his left hand came up every few seconds and scratched at the spot where she knew his necklace was.

Where the ring was.

"Goddamn it! Where the hell is my—"

He whipped around wildly as he stormed pass Haley, finding the scotch already perched next to his armchair. He dropped in the seat and started to shake his head slowly as he started to down the bottle—the burn down his throat taking his mind off of the burning of the ring on his bare skin.

That's when the tears started, coming down one by one.

They were like bullets in Russian roulette, you didn't know where they were you just knew they were there.

Haley felt her eyes fill with tears as well but instead stood in front of her dad, her curiously for finding out if that woman from earlier was her mom or not too great.

"Was that my mommy?"

All that came next from Jack was his enraged yell as he threw the now empty scotch bottle at her; two screams mixing together into one.


End file.
